Love And Harmony Combine
by LukeDAP
Summary: A Harry/Hermione (Draco/Ginny and Ron/Luna) story that happens after The Cursed Child. However, before we get to 2020, each chapter will cover a year, starting in 1998. A lot happens between all those years - before they get together - and everything will be explored. Canon, as much as possible, of course.
1. Chapter One - 1998

**AN** **:** Okay, sooo... this will be quite the long journey! The REAL story will begin AFTER The Cursed Child. However, a lot happens between the end of the war and then, and so each chapter will cover a year of Harry's life, plus his friends and family. Sometimes, Harry himself won't even be the main focus of the chapter, as the Weasleys, Neville, Luna, Hermione and others also have their own lives.

There'll be LGBT plots on this story. There'll be character death. There'll be divorces. I love all the characters and I want to explore their personal growth, but sometimes they'll be in a bad moment in their lives and they'll lash out. That doesn't mean they'll always be like that - it just means they have stuff to figure out. No bashing, promise.

As for ships: Harry/Hermione, Draco/Ginny, Ron/Luna. They'll only happen waaayyy later in the story, though. Until we reach 2020, everything is as canon as possible. So buckle up!

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE – 1998**

Harry James Potter sighed as he looked up to the stars in the sky. It was a very warm night and, after spending the last two weeks chasing a group of Death Eaters, Harry was simply exhausted. He checked his watch and realised it was late. With a 'pop', he Apparated to his godfather's family's house, Grimmauld Place.

Kreacher, the house-elf who served the Black family, appeared immediately and, before Harry could open his mouth, a plate with food was on the table for him.

"Master, had I known you'd be arriving tonight, I'd have prepared something special." He said in a tone that showed he disapproved of Harry's inability to warn him of his arrival.

"Sorry, Kreacher. I'm not hungry. I'll see you in the morning." The house-elf seemed even more offended at that, but he quietly left the room without another glance at his master.

With another sigh, Harry slowly made his way to his bedroom. There were multiple letters on his bed, all unopened and waiting for him. He grabbed them and checked them without much interest.

"Event, special event, another event. Don't these people realise I don't have enough time or interest to attend to their stupid balls?" He grunted to himself. Harry was about to throw the letters away when one caught his attention. "Ginny…" He whispered before opening the letter.

" _Dear Harry,_

 _I know you're on a very important mission with Ron and I don't expect you to receive this letter anytime soon. To be honest, I don't even know why I'm writing this. Things here at home have been awfully quiet. I guess I just wanted to tell you that I miss you, and I hope you're safe._

 _Please let me know when you get back?_

 _Love,_

 _Ginny_ "

Harry shook his head. He had missed Ginny very much while he was away, and yet he couldn't reach out to her. For some unknown reason, he didn't feel comfortable writing back to her. He shrugged, figuring that Ron would be arriving at the Burrow any moment now – if he hadn't already – and Ginny would be reassured by her brother that Harry was fine.

He went through the other letters quickly, wondering why he couldn't set them aside and finally get some sleep. The truth was that Harry had been sleeping very little ever since…

 _No point in thinking about that_ , he told himself, as he found an envelope from Hogwarts. He opened it, knowing that McGonagall, now the Headmistress, would want to at least offer him the option of going back for his final year.

Harry was touched. McGonagall had always been strict, yes, but he knew how much she cared about him. The fact that, after everything he had been through in the past year, there was still a place for him at Hogwarts was something that truly moved him.

However, he couldn't imagine himself going to classes again. As if nothing had happened. As if nothing had changed. A lot had happened. Everything had changed. Hogwarts was no longer a safe haven for Harry. Remus and Tonks had died there. Fred had died there. Colin had died there.

 _I died there_.

* * *

"Harry." Ron called him. Harry, who still felt too exhausted to do much, simply stopped walking and waited for his best friend to catch up with him. "Ginny asked me to ask you if you got her letter."

"Oh." Harry's mind went blank for a second. How could he explain to Ron that he felt too overwhelmed to talk to his little sister? "I'm not sure. There were many letters in my bedroom when I arrived last night, but I was too tired to read them. Tell her I'll see her this weekend for her birthday party?" He quickly replied, hoping Ron wouldn't see through his lie.

"Can't you just write a letter to her and let her know about it?" Ron muttered, obviously annoyed. Harry couldn't blame his friend. They had been working too hard with very little sleep, which meant that they were always tired and cranky. It didn't help that they hadn't heard from Hermione in over a month.

"Sure, mate. I'll do that." Harry said, wishing the conversation would be over then. He was relieved when Ron seemed to accept that. They sat down at the same table and sighed together. "I don't mind the long missions and the danger and all. But writing reports on them? That's a whole new level of torture."

"I'm with you on that one." Ron replied, opening the Daily Prophet instead of starting his work. He whistled as he read the front page. "The Malfoys finally got a date for their trial. Now that should be interesting."

"Hey, you two, you're back!" Neville exclaimed as he joined them. "How was everything?"

"We're alive." Ron grunted, still reading the paper. Neville sent Harry a concerned look, who just shrugged.

"I guess we're still pretty tired. We got home pretty late yesterday." Harry added, hoping that Neville wouldn't push Ron. Again.

"Right. You do seem like you could use some sleep." Neville slowly said to them, still looking concerned. "How are you feeling, Ron?" He asked. Harry shook his head.

"What is that supposed to mean, Longbottom?" Ron spat, his ears as red as they could be. "So I'm tired. How does that concern you? If you're so worried, why don't you ask for your girlfriend about something that'll make me sleep? Loony should have all the right answers, right?"

"Don't talk about Luna like that." Neville calmly replied. Harry had to give him some credit for never losing his temper whenever Ron had one of his moments. "She's your friend and she cares about you – just as much as I do."

"Well, don't waste your time. I'm fine." Ron stood up and walked out of the room. Neville looked miserable.

"Harry, we should really talk to him. I don't think he's done mourning Fred yet, he shouldn't be here, he should be with his family." He said after a few seconds. Harry shrugged, unwilling to think of the Weasleys at the moment.

"Just leave him alone, Neville. He needs some time, that's all."

* * *

Harry, Neville and Luna went to the Burrow together for Ginny's party. While Harry had to admit he wasn't feeling festive at all, he was glad that Luna was with them. If there was one person who could keep a conversation going, with or without another person, it was definitely Luna.

"And then I told Dad that a Blibbering Humdinger would never be in our backyard, as they prefer a very specific type of weather." She told them. Neville was holding her hand and nodding, listening to every word she said. Harry, however, couldn't focus on his friends. "Ah, here we are. Don't worry, Harry, I'm sure everything will turn out just fine." Luna happily said before knocking on the door. Harry shot her a surprised look, but she didn't seem to notice it.

"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley cried when she opened the door. She quickly hugged him, then let him go and hugged Neville and Luna at the same time. "And you two as well! I'm so glad you could come." Harry took one good look at her face and realised he wasn't the only one not getting enough sleep.

They entered the Burrow and Mrs. Weasley took them to the kitchen. Harry felt nervous and it only got worse when he met Ginny. She looked gorgeous and pleasantly surprised to see him and her friends. With a big smile, she gave Luna a long hug. Once the girls had let each other go, it was Neville's turn.

And then Harry's.

"Happy birthday, Gin." He awkwardly muttered as he held her. He let her go and stepped back, feeling all eyes on him. Ginny smiled at him, touched his arm and chuckled.

"I'm glad you came, Harry. Now don't be all tense. It's supposed to be a party." She laughed and, just like that, Harry felt lighter. How silly he had been, worrying about being around Ginny. She was an expert in making everything seem simple and he was very thankful for that.

They all sat at the table and started talking and eating. Harry didn't feel like talking, so he ate as he listened to Bill and Fleur discuss their plans for the future. Fleur wanted some time away from the UK and was trying to convince Bill that they should spend some time in France with her family. Harry thought that kind of discussion in front of Mrs. Weasley was rather dangerous, but Molly barely seemed to register the conversation.

"Anyway, George! How's the shop?" Charlie asked after an awkward silence between Fleur and Bill. The question caught his attention, as he hadn't even noticed that George was there in the first place. He looked around and found the lone twin sitting quietly in a corner of the living room, away from the others.

"I haven't reopened it yet." George finally muttered, probably once he realised everybody was waiting for his answer. "And no, I don't know when I'll do it. Was there anything else?" Harry was taken aback. He hadn't been at the Burrow recently, and he certainly hadn't expected George to bounce back from Fred's death so soon, but he had never seen him act so bitterly.

"Right. Sorry, mate. Just asking." Charlie said, before quickly turning to Neville and Luna. "So you two, huh? You seem pretty happy together." He forced a smile, clearly hoping they'd save him from the awkward moment. Thankfully, Luna didn't need to be asked twice.

"Oh, yes, despite all the darkness and sadness from the war, we've managed to find some happiness in each other." Luna replied in her dreamy voice. "And he gives me ice cream. That makes me happy too." She added, making most of them laugh.

"There's nothing like ice cream to get the girls." Bill chimed in, with a tiny wink at Fleur. She rolled her eyes, but smiled. Harry was glad to see they seemed to be putting their discussion behind them, at least for the moment.

"Oh, that must be Percy." Mr. Weasley said as they heard a knock on the door. "I'll get that, don't worry." He told Mrs. Weasley, making sure she stayed on her seat.

"I wish Percy would stop being so formal. We have forgiven already, he could just come in." Charlie muttered. Bill shrugged. "I know, I know. ' _Give him time_ ' and all."

"Hello."

Harry turned his head so fast that his neck made a rather alarming noise. He ignored it. Hermione was standing there, after being gone for over a month. There was another awkward silence where the Weasleys kept looking at Hermione, at Ron and at Harry. However, the Golden Trio was frozen, unable to say anything.

"Hermione! I'm so glad you're back!" Ginny finally exclaimed. She stood up and ran over to Hermione, hugging her. That finally broke the spell and suddenly almost everybody was standing up and making their way to the young woman.

"How are you?"

"Did you find your parents?"

"How was Australia?"

"When did you come back?"

Hermione was clearly overwhelmed by all the questions and she kept stealing glances to Ron and Harry, hoping one of them would rescue her. Unfortunately, she was out of luck. Ron was glaring at her, visibly upset. Harry was frozen in his seat.

"We should give 'er some room, she just got 'ere." Fleur said, noticing Hermione's discomfort. The others quickly agreed and went back to their seats. They found Hermione a chair and put it next to Ron, and then everybody pretended to be looking somewhere else.

"So. You're back." Ron muttered. Hermione nodded in response. "Brilliant." He said. Then, he stood up. "I'm still tired from our mission, so I'll get some sleep. See you later." Without another word, Ron left.

* * *

"All I'm saying is that he didn't have to treat me like that." Hermione said, still angry. Harry nodded, though he was sure she hadn't even noticed. "I mean, yes, I could've sent him a letter letting him know I was on my way back, but maybe, just maybe, Harry, I've been busy with my parents."

"I know, Hermione. And I'm sure Ron does too." He replied. "We came back from a mission earlier this week and we're both exhausted. Just give him some time and then talk to him."

"I just…" Hermione sighed. "What if he hates me now, Harry?" She asked, her voice suddenly very quiet.

"You know he could never hate you, Hermione. Ron's been a bit moody lately, that's all." Harry told her. "Listen, I'm happy that you're back, but I need to rest too." He added. "Don't read too much into what happened today. I'm sure Ron is happy."

* * *

Harry finished his breakfast and got ready to go to King's Cross. He had agreed to meet Ginny, Hermione and Luna there, as they were all leaving for their final year. Hermione and Ginny had tried talking him into going as well, but nothing could change his mind on that matter. He was an Auror and he was happy with that. Going to Hogwarts was simply unthinkable.

He Apparated and found Neville and Luna. Harry quickly joined them, ignoring the whispers around him. People kept pointing at him and some even waved. He tried to pretend there was nothing going on.

"Hey, Nev, Luna." Harry awkwardly said. Neville's ears were red, and Harry could tell that his friend was also having a hard time with the attention. Luna, on the other hand, seemed genuinely unaware of people staring at her.

"Ah, there's Hermione!" She exclaimed and waved. Hermione joined them with her parents.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger." Harry muttered. Hermione smiled at her friends, also looking bothered by all the attention they were gathering.

"Oh, please, Harry. Call me Howard." Mr. Granger replied, a smile on his face. The Grangers, unlike their daughter, seemed perfectly fine with hundreds of people pointing at them. Harry was slightly envious of them.

"Right, sorry, Mis—I mean, Howard." Harry corrected himself.

"Now I wonder where the Weasleys are…" Mrs. Granger said with a tiny smile. She was obviously amused at her daughter's nervousness.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon." Neville answered, before chucking. "See, there they are!"

Ginny was walking ahead of the rest of her family, clearly trying to make them move faster. Ron was slightly behind her, followed by Charlie and Mrs. Weasley. Once they had all greeted each other, the awkward silence that was becoming a regular occurrence in Harry's life presented itself again.

"Right, so. We should probably get going." Mr. Granger said. He hugged Hermione and smiled as Mrs. Granger did the same. "Have a lovely year, and don't forget to write us."

"And be careful. No more wars, do you hear me?" Mrs. Granger added. Hermione rolled her eyes at her parents.

"I always write, you know that. And it's not like I began the last war." She replied, though she was smiling.

"Yeah, I'm going too. Have fun, Gin." George muttered without looking at anybody's eyes. Before they could say something, he Apparated. Mrs. Weasley looked like she was going to cry at any second.

"I don't know what to do with him." She whispered, tears in her eyes.

"He'll be fine, Mum." Ginny said, hugging her mother. "It's just. It's harder for him." She added. Harry looked away, wishing he could be anywhere but there.

"Well, we should get a compartment for ourselves, don't you think?" Luna asked. Harry thought that even she looked uncomfortable. Ginny and Hermione quickly nodded, hugged everyone and got on the train. Mrs. Weasley whispered goodbye and Apparated, leaving Harry, Ron and Neville on their own.

"I guess we should get to work, huh?" Neville suggested, breaking the silence. Harry nodded, but Ron didn't seem to hear him.

"She said she doesn't want to be in a relationship." He finally said. Harry and Neville shared a concerned look. Ron finally glanced at his friends. "Hermione. I talked to her earlier this week. She said she _cares_ about me. But she'd rather finish her education before starting a relationship. I mean, what does that…" He stopped himself and huffed in anger. "What does it even mean?"

Harry was quiet. He didn't want to get involved in his friends' relationship – or lack of it. Especially considering he didn't know where he and Ginny stood themselves. He knew he had feelings for Ginny, but he couldn't even think about dating at the moment. And he hadn't even bothered to discuss it with her. Harry suddenly felt very ashamed of himself.

* * *

The rest of the months passed by rather quickly. There were many Death Eaters to catch and Harry was never idle. He had focused only on his work and was soon a hero in the Auror Department. And so, before he knew it, it was Christmas and he was, of course, joining the Weasleys for the holiday.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Weasley." Harry said as he entered the Burrow.

"Harry, welcome. Merry Christmas." Arthur led him to the living room where everyone was waiting for them already.

"I'm completely nervous about this, to be honest. Shacklebolt plans on making me Head of the department in less than a year and I'm just not sure I'm ready for that." Percy was saying. He looked up when he heard Harry and his father. "Ah, hello, Harry, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, everyone." Harry replied quietly. He sat down next to Bill, hoping they wouldn't ask him too many questions.

"Ron told us you got a huge case last week." Bill commented. "Good job, Harry." He added, an easy smile on his face. There was a knock on the door and he stood up. "I got this, Dad, don't worry."

Harry looked around and his eyes met Hermione's. She was sitting next to Luna and Neville, but she seemed rather miserable. When Harry raised his eyebrows at her, she glanced quickly at Ron. Harry looked at his best friend and realised that Ron was doing all he could to ignore Hermione.

"Good evening." McGonagall said as she entered the room. Harry was surprised to see the Headmistress there. "Thank you for inviting me, Arthur, Molly."

"Glad you could join us, Minerva." Mr. Weasley replied, though Mrs. Weasley simply nodded. Before the situation could get more awkward, Harry made an excuse to go to the kitchen, as he needed to be away from so many people.

"Hey." Ginny said as she joined him. Harry turned to her and tried to offer her a smile. He failed, but Ginny was graceful and didn't mention it. "I know you're not feeling well, Harry. We've all been through so much in the last year. Mum couldn't even knit her famous jumpers this year."

"That's terrible." Harry muttered. He didn't know what to do or what to say, so he focused on getting a glass of water for himself. He heard Ginny chuckling behind him.

"You really don't need to be nervous around me, Harry. I get that you aren't ready to talk about what happened or about the future and I can live with that. I can wait. It's frustrating, mind you, but I don't want to force you. I just need to know…" Ginny sighed and, for the first time in months, Harry saw a vulnerability in Ginny he had forgotten even existed. "I was just wondering. You and I. Us. Are we still…?"

She left the question in the air and Harry pondered. He had feelings for Ginny, even if he couldn't express them at the moment. Was it fair to ask her to wait, though? He knew it wasn't. Harry didn't know what to say to her and so they stood there in silence.

"I see." Ginny said. Her face and her voice betrayed nothing. "Well, I won't bother you again. Merry Christmas, Harry." She turned to leave the kitchen, but Harry grabbed her hand.

"Wait, Ginny." He whispered. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth. "I like you, I really do. I'm just not in a good place right now. And I can't make you wait for me, it's not fair."

"How about you let me decide that?" She asked him. Harry nodded. Before they could say anything else, they heard raised voices from the living room and quickly went there to see what was happening.

"I already said this a thousand times! I'll reopen the shop when I decided to reopen it!" George cried out, clearly angry.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Weasley." McGonagall fired back, sounding completely exasperated. "If you continue to behave like this, you'll never reopen it. Nor do anything else with your life. You need that business of yours and I am quite certain your brother would have agreed with me. He would have hated to see you like this, wasting away day after day, especially knowing how much joy you have to offer to the world."

Harry stood next to Ginny in stunned silence. Everybody else seemed just as shocked as he felt, as nobody had expected McGonagall, of all people, to snap at a grieving George. The seconds dragged, making the mood of the room heavier. Finally, George stood up and walked over to his former Transfiguration professor.

"Fred would've understood my pain. And he'd have given me as much time as I needed to make it go away." He said, his voice low. McGonagall put a hand on his shoulder.

"The pain will never go away. You simply must learn to live with it. It's all you can do for him." She replied, not unkindly. George looked to his feet for a very long time. When he looked back to McGonagall, he was openly crying. However, he nodded.

"Fine. I'll do it. For Fred."


	2. Chapter Two - 1999

**CHAPTER TWO – 1999**

George Gideon Weasley shut the door of his shop as the last customer of the day left. He looked around for a few minutes, feeling extremely alone. He wasn't used to being on his own, and he doubted he ever would feel comfortable without Fred.

Instead of Apparating home – after all, what was home now that half of his life was gone? – George decided to wander aimlessly. He had always enjoyed Diagon Alley, its shops, the people, the mood. There was always something happening, and that had always been something that attracted the twins.

As he tried, unsuccessfully, to keep Fred out of his thoughts, he entered the Leaky Cauldron and sat down at a table by himself. George thought about his family. They were, for the most part, recovering quite well. Bill had Fleur, their own house and their own marital issues. Charlie had stayed at the Burrow for a few months, but he had gone back to Romania mid-January.

Percy was a mystery to George. He had been uptight his whole life. However, after the war, Percy had become more easy-going, despite being nervous about his own career. Bill and Charlie had enjoyed mocking him for having a crush on a witch from his department, though George couldn't remember her name.

Ron was on a downward spiral, and that was obvious to anyone who spent more than five minutes with him. George had considered talking to him, but, truth be told, he couldn't be bothered. He was barely able to get himself out of bed every morning, what could he possibly do to help his younger brother?

Ginny, to her credit, seemed well. She had always been quite the strong woman, even when she was only a child. In many ways, George thought, she was like Bill and Charlie. There was a unique strength in them that kept them going for their loved ones, despite all the pain they must be feeling as well.

George finished his Butterbeer, thought about ordering something stronger and dropped it. He wasn't sure he was in the right mood for getting drunk, and so he stood up, ready to leave. However, he did it too fast and ended up bumping into someone.

"Sorry." He muttered, angry at himself for not being aware of his surroundings. Even though the war was over, there were still many enemies out there. That thought was completely wiped out from his mind once he looked at the person he had bumped into. "Angie."

"George." Angelina replied, her voice very timid, so unlike herself. "How…" She started her question, before stopping and clearing her throat. "I see you've reopened Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. That's nice." She finished, unable to look at George for more than three seconds. He didn't blame her. He couldn't look at the mirror for more than one second.

"Yes, McGonagall told me I had to do it." He said, trying to keep his words light. It was useless, of course, but Angelina seemed to appreciate his efforts, as she looked at him for a few more seconds than she had before and even smiled a little.

"She's always adored you both." She whispered kindly. George nodded, unable to say anything. Angelina seemed to notice his struggle and pointed at his table. "Maybe we could have a Butterbeer together some other time? I'm working at Quality Quidditch Supplies, just around the corner, you know?"

"Yeah, love the place." He muttered, still feeling too numb to say much. Angelina nodded at him.

"So I'll see you soon, then."

* * *

"Hey, Ginny." Luna said as she sat down next to her friend. "Beetle ring for your thoughts?" She added, offering her ring to Ginny.

"What? Oh, thank you, but I couldn't." She replied, smiling. "I was just thinking about everything that's happening out there. Bill might go to France, Charlie is in Romania, George is handling the shop on his own, Ron is a mess…" Ginny stopped herself.

"And then there's Harry?" Luna asked. Ginny gave her a miserable look, but didn't answer. "I was hoping we'd be able to talk about relationships. You see. You and Harry love each other, but aren't together." She went on, without waiting for Ginny to say anything. "Neville and I are together, and I believe he loves me. But I don't think I love him." Luna paused as her friend finally turned her face to her and gave the conversation her full attention.

"But you seem so happy with him." Ginny was finally able to say. Luna nodded.

"Yes, he's lovely, isn't he? I'm sorry, I got that wrong. Of course I _love_ Neville. I'm just not _in love_ with him." She clarified, as if that made her statement less shocking to Ginny. "Now I'm sure I must break up with him, it's hardly fair I keep him in a relationship like this. But the question is how to do it."

There was a long silence, as Luna waited for Ginny to answer, while Ginny herself expected Luna to come up with a Luna-like solution to her own problem. When it became clear that her scenario wasn't very likely, the redhead took a deep breath.

"Well, Luna, Neville is a dear friend of mine, like you are." She began. Luna nodded once again, and Ginny could practically see her taking mental notes. "He's a very sweet guy who appreciates honesty, so you should probably just be honest with him? But not blunt. There's a difference." She quickly added once she remembered who she was talking to.

"Honest, but not blunt." Luna repeated, as if tasting the words. Then she smiled. "Thank you, Ginny. You've given me a lot to think about and that always makes me happy."

"Glad I could help." Ginny said, unable to keep herself from smiling back.

"Now about Harry, what are we going to do?" She asked. Ginny sighed and shrugged.

"No idea. He needs some time and I can accept that, but he doesn't seem to be getting any better. I'm worried about him, to be honest." She replied. Luna gave it some thought, then touched Ginny's arm in solidarity.

"He's Harry, he always gets a little moody. All the Nargles, you know." Ginny made a neutral sound at that, as she was used to Luna's _unconventional_ beliefs. "Make sure he knows you'll be there for him and, once he's ready, you two should be good to go and get married and have children."

"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed as she burst into laughter. "I think I'd rather begin with a nice date first." She commented, still chuckling. "You're right, of course. I just wish I could see some improvement in him, but he's just like Ron. They're only getting worse."

* * *

"Honestly, Percy, just ask her out." Bill was saying as he opened the door. "Oh, hey, Harry, come on in."

"Thanks, Bill." Harry muttered, entering the Burrow and making his way to the living room. "Happy birthday, Ron." He added when he saw his best friend.

"It's only tomorrow." Ron replied, not bothering to look up from his Quidditch magazine. Harry stood where was, unsure if he should sit down or just leave.

"So. Harry, we've been hearing good things about you at the Ministry." Percy awkwardly said as he led Harry to a chair. "Very good things indeed. Of course, you being who you are, the expectations were high, but you've done a better job than anyone could've expected, truly."

"Thanks, Percy." Harry stated. He looked around, hoping someone else would start a new conversation. Bill caught his desperate look and nodded.

"Harry, I don't know if you've heard about this, but Fleur and I will be spending some months in France with her family." He announced. Fleur beamed next to him, clearly happy about this plan.

"Yes, we're very 'appy about it, Papa and Mama can't wait! Zee weather in France is much better too." She added, her natural charm making everyone seem less uncomfortable. Harry even saw Mr. Weasley smiling at his daughter-in-law.

"I'm just hoping I'll be able to convince Percy here to ask Audrey out before I leave." Bill said with a mischievous wink. Percy's ears suddenly went very red. "Come on, mate! You should do it before Shacklebolt makes you Head of your department, you know? Because then you'll be her boss and that could get awkward."

"I guess." He muttered. "I told you already, I'll think about it." Percy sighed and then looked at his father. "Have you heard about the Malfoys? Apparently, they'll be released from Azkaban soon. I don't understand why, they're all criminals, but money talks." He finished with a bitter tone.

"Stupid ferret." Ron grunted. "Amazing, we spend months of our lives putting ourselves in danger to catch Death Eaters and then the stupid department just lets them go. Un-bloody-believable."

"That _is_ messed up." Harry agreed, feeling his own temper rising. Before he could say much more, though, there was a knock on the door. Bill quickly welcomed Neville and Harry was glad to see his friend. However, the young man looked miserable. "What's wrong, Nev?" He asked.

"Nothing, nothing, I don't want to spoil Ron's birthday." Neville quickly replied. Ron raised an eyebrow at that. "Happy birthday, mate." He added, offering Ron a package. Harry realised he had forgotten to get his best friend a present and almost kicked himself.

"Spill it, Longbottom. My birthday is tomorrow anyway." Ron said, ignoring the gift. Neville looked around, confused. Bill shrugged sympathetically and took the package from his hands.

"I'll put this in Ron's bedroom later, no worries." He whispered.

"Thanks." Neville replied. He sat down next to Harry and sighed. "I don't mean to bring the mood down…" Ron snorted. "But Luna broke up with me yesterday." He finished, ignoring the interruption.

"I'm sorry, Nev." Harry told him, thinking about Ginny. He wondered if she was seeing someone else at Hogwarts. The thought hurt him and he forced himself to focus on his friend instead. "Did she say why?"

"She thinks we're better off as friends." Neville answered with a tiny shrug. "I don't think she's wrong, we are great friends. I just wish we could be more."

"Join the club." Ron commented.

* * *

George cursed. Nothing was going right that day. Of course it wasn't. It was supposed to be different. He was now officially older. Fred wasn't. Fred would always remain twenty. Not him. He had aged without his twin. George left his shop, even though there were customers there. They'd leave eventually. Maybe they'd steal all his products first.

Not _just_ his products. Fred had helped him make them.

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if everything was taken away. All of their products were just another reminder of Fred's eternal absence. He sat down on a bench and took a deep breath, trying to sort out his thoughts and feelings.

"Hey, George." He looked up and saw Angelina. "I hope you don't mind, but I told your customers to bugger off and closed the shop for the day. Some of those children seemed a little too eager to become thieves, if you ask me." She chuckled and sat next to him. "Having a bad day?"

"You could say that." George replied.

"You know, I was there for over an hour. I kept telling myself ' _get over there, wish him a happy birthday_ ', but I just couldn't." Angelina whispered after a few seconds of silence. "Let's face it, you don't feel like celebrating today and I don't blame you."

"Thank you?" George said, feeling confused. He looked at the young woman next to him and saw her rolling her eyes at him.

"All I'm saying is that today isn't a happy day, but it doesn't have to be a bad day either." She stated. "I say we go the Leaky Cauldron, get that Butterbeer we had talked about, chat and go home. Simple, the day will be over soon and… Fred would've wanted it." Angelina lowered her voice.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. George thinking about everything she had told him, while Angelina gave him time to consider her offer. Finally, he stood up and gave her a weak smile.

"It's my birthday, so you're paying for that Butterbeer, Johnson." He told her, making her laugh.

"I already saved your business today, Weasley." Angelina reminded him as she also stood up. "But fair enough, I guess I can afford to buy you one drink."

* * *

As the months went by, Harry got busier and busier with his missions. He started avoiding Ron, which wasn't too difficult, as Ron himself seemed to be avoiding him as well. Neville, while still upset about his failed relationship with Luna, had handled it all rather gracefully. As far as Harry could tell, they were still sending letters to each other on a regular basis.

That made him feel even more ashamed of himself. Harry had tried writing something to Ginny more than a few times. He could never finish his letters. The truth was that Harry didn't even know how to begin his letters. And so, when Ginny, Luna and Hermione were finally done with their studies, Harry was very uncomfortable with the idea of going to the ceremony at Hogwarts.

"Don't worry, Harry. It'll be fine." Neville told him for the fifth time as they stood in the Great Hall, after the ceremony. Ron was nearby, between Mrs. Weasley and George. Harry was surprised to see that George seemed to be doing well.

Finally, Ginny joined them with a huge smile on her face. She hugged her parents and her brothers, while Hermione was timidly looking at the group a few feet away. Before he could get caught in another awkward moment with Ginny, Harry quickly made his way towards his best friend.

"Congratulations, Hermione." He said, offering her a hug. She smiled at him when they let each other go.

"Thank you, Harry, I'm quite proud of this achievement." She replied, though he could tell she was sad that Ron seemed to be ignoring her. He nodded and tried to think of anything else he could say.

"So what's next?" Harry finally asked her. Hermione took a deep breath.

"Well, I've received a lot of offers, of course. I hate to think of working for the Ministry, which is completely illogical, obviously, but after fighting against them for so long. It feels slightly unnatural." She stated. "That said, I'm not ready just yet to give up on my dreams of equality, so I believe I'll join the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"That's great, Hermione, it really is." He told her, trying to sound excited for her. He knew he had failed when Hermione gave him a long appraising look.

"What's going on, Harry? And don't lie to me. I know you." Hermione paused for two seconds. "And I shared my dormitory with Ginny this year." She added. Harry chuckled. "Just talk to me. After everything we've been through, haven't I at least earned the right to know what's bothering my best friend?"

"Of course you have." He snapped at her. The hurt look on Hermione's face was enough to make him regret his harsh tone. "I'm sorry. I just. I don't know, Hermione. I mean. I _died_." Harry whispered the last sentence, avoiding her gaze. "And I've always had a goal. Now I have nothing. Nothing, Hermione. I died and I have nothing."

"Come on, Harry. You have your job, you're amazing at it. You have your friends. You have Teddy." She listed, even though Harry looked more and more miserable. "You have your whole life ahead of you, Harry. Voldemort did everything he could to take it away from you, but you beat him. You have your life back. Enjoy it, please. You deserve that."

"I will try." He finally replied. They exchanged small, but genuine smiles. "I really should visit Teddy soon. Remus must be so disappointed in me. He chose me to be his son's godfather and I just abandoned him with Andromeda."

"I'm sure Remus would completely understand that you need some time for yourself." Hermione told him. "I can go with you, though, if you think you could use some company." She offered.

"I'd love that, Hermione."

* * *

It was a late night at the Burrow, but Ginny couldn't sleep. She was leaving tomorrow to finally join the Holyhead Harpies. She could hardly believe that she was going to be a professional Quidditch player, and yet…

And yet, there were so many loose ends in her life.

Luna had left the week before, in her own personal mission to study magical creatures. It was a very Luna thing to do and Ginny wished her friend the best, though she wanted, more than anything, to have Luna there so they could talk.

Harry had been just as distant as before. She had seen him talking to Hermione for quite some during their ceremony and she knew they had visited Teddy together a few days later. Ron had gotten furious about it, but Ginny knew better. She could see how vulnerable Harry was, just as she could see that the one person who could break his walls was Hermione.

Was she happy about it? Not exactly. She wished she could be that person for him. But being with Harry meant accepting he was came with a package. Ron and Hermione, to be more specific. While a less confident woman would've been insanely jealous, Ginny refused to be that way. She knew Hermione and loved her like a sister. She trusted Harry and believed him when he said he had feelings for Ginny. And only Ginny.

There was nothing she could do about her love life. Harry needed to sort out his issues and, if Hermione could help with him that, then by all means, Ginny was fully supportive of them spending time together. However, that led her to the loosest of all ends in her life.

Ron.

Her brother was absolutely miserable. And a miserable Ron meant that everybody around him was just as miserable. If not more. With a loud sigh, she got out of her bed. Ginny may not be able to help Harry, but she was sure she could do something for Ron. Without a second thought, she went over to his bedroom. She opened the door, shut it and poked him.

"Wake up, you idiot." Ginny whispered. Ron grunted and turned to the other side, but she wasn't about to give up. "You can wake up with or without cold water all over your face. It's your choice."

"Fine." She heard him say – though growl would've been a better description. Ron sat up on his bed and glared at her.

"I don't care how angry you are, Ron. You've been lashing out at everybody who loves and cares about you for over a year. It's time to stop." Ginny told him. "We all lost Fred that night. We all thought that Harry had died. We all have our own heartbreaks to deal with. You're the only one throwing a tantrum, though. Even George has gotten back on his own two feet."

"Well, good for him, isn't it?" Ron spat at her, a vicious tone on his voice that she could barely recognise.

"Shut up." She said. "You're angry and you're hurt. I get it. But this? Pushing people away? How is this going to help you at all, Ron?" Ginny asked him. He scoffed and looked away. "I'm serious, Ron. Hermione _loves_ you. Harry considers you the brother he never had. And I already lost one brother. Please don't make me go through that again, I'm begging you." She gave him a few minutes, but he said nothing. Ginny sighed before sitting on his bed and taking his hand. "Ron, you're miserable. You hate everything about your life."

"Thanks, Ginny. That makes me feel much better." He replied as he took his hand back. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Then make a change! You hate being an Auror! You hate following Harry's path, always in his shadow. Then don't! Leave your job! Find something else. Something that you enjoy doing, Ron. There must be something." Ginny took another deep breath and stood up. "I'm leaving tomorrow. I wish Harry and I were dating. I wish Fred were still alive. I can't change those things. But I can still live my life and follow my dreams. And that's what I'm going to do tomorrow, Ron. I'll be one of the best Chasers the world has ever seen. That's what I'm going to do. What will _you_ be doing?"

She turned around and left the room without another word.

* * *

Three months later, Ron and George had just arrived at the Burrow when they ran into Bill. They shared a confused look, as they couldn't remember their oldest brother mentioning a visit in any of his letters.

"Hey, Bill." Ron said as they hugged. "Did you get tired of France? Or did France get tired of your ugly face?" He chuckled. Bill rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Well, someone is a much better mood, huh?" He replied. Ron shrugged, smiling.

"What can I say? When Ginny tells you to suck it up, you'd better suck it up." The three brothers laughed, though they knew it was true. Ginny had inherited Mrs. Weasley's talent to make them do exactly what she told them to do and they all knew it quite well. "Seriously, though, working with George at the shop in the last few months has been wonderful. I needed something less…" Ha paused, unsure of how to put it into words.

"Morbid than going after murderers everyday?" George finished for him. Ron chuckled again.

"Something like that." He said. Bill smiled at his younger brothers.

"Well, I'm glad you've found your way, Ronnykins." He laughed as he messed Ron's hair up. "Now where's Dad?" Bill asked them, but they shrugged.

"No idea. He should be home soon, though. Why?" George replied. "Why are you here, Bill? Not that I haven't missed that ugly scar of yours and all." He paused as he evaded Bill's playful slap. "But, you know, we thought you were in France. And the Burrow isn't French territory just yet."

"Well, dear brothers of mine… Fleur and I are coming back." Bill announced. "We'd like our child to be born here."


	3. Chapter Three - 2000

**CHAPTER THREE – 2000**

Ginevra Molly Weasley heard the crowd cheer when the Holyhead Harpies' Seeker caught the Snitch and, without a second thought, joined them. She was beyond excited that they had beaten the Wimbourne Wasps and were going to the finals. As she flew over to her teammates and they all hugged and cried, Ginny could only think of one thing that'd make her day even better.

And he was there waiting for her at the exit of the field.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed when she saw his big smile.

"Hello, Chaser Weasley!" He said before hugging her. "You were an amazing Chaser back at Hogwarts, but now you've reached a whole new level, Gin." Harry told her. She wasn't sure, but it almost sounded like he was proud of her.

"What are you doing here, Harry? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I'm just surprised." Ginny quickly added. For the first time, he looked away.

"I wanted to see you play." Harry replied. Then, his eyes met hers and she could see how serious he was. "I wanted to see _you_. Listen, Ginny, I know the war has been over for almost two years now, and I know I wasn't there for you for so long. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. I regret it. I want to be part of your life. If you'll still have me." Ginny was shocked, especially since she hadn't seen Harry speaking that much in a very long time. She was also somewhat upset that it had taken him so long to work through his issues. However, she was nothing but understanding and so she took his hand and smiled.

"Give me an hour to shower and get ready, then you could take me out for a victory lunch?" Ginny offered. Harry chuckled.

"It'd be my honour."

* * *

"And then I told him ' _well, sure, a Bluebottle is an amazing broom, if all you want is to catch a nice breeze_ '!" Angelina told George and they both burst out laughing. "He got really angry and left saying that our service is terrible, but I mean. I was just being _honest_!" And they laughed again.

"You're going to get yourself fired one of these days." George was finally able to say, while ordering another round of Firewhisky for them.

"I have a friend who owns a business, I'm sure he could let me work there." Angelina replied. "Oh, thank you." She added when their shots arrived. "Are you trying to get me drunk G-Weasley?"

"You wish, A-Johnson." He fired back before laughing again.

"Oh, Merlin, we need to drop those nicknames, they're awful." Angelina said while shaking her head. When George motioned for another round, she stopped him. "Oh, no, please. Stop. I have a date tomorrow, I can't look like I spent tonight trying to sleep on the Hogwarts Express."

"A date?" George asked, suddenly not finding anything so funny any longer. Angelina sighed and looked away.

"I know that I dated Fred for quite a while, but it was years ago and, well…" She paused and looked at George in a pleading way. "I need to move on, you understand that, right?" He nodded, feeling numb.

"Of course. I mean. You need to live your life, Angelina." He finally managed to tell her, and she was drunk enough to accept it. However, George couldn't stop the sinking feeling in his stomach.

* * *

"I came as soon as I heard!" Harry exclaimed when he finally found the Weasleys. Ron chuckled as hugged his best friend.

"Relax, mate, it hasn't happened yet." Harry looked around and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sitting with Fleur's parents. Ginny went over to where he was and greeted him with a peck on the lips.

"I'm glad you got here in time." She told him. Harry smiled, still feeling lucky that their relationship was going so well. He saw Hermione sitting next to Gabrielle and waved at her friend. Then, Bill ran towards them, beaming.

"She's here! Come on, come see our daughter!" He led them to a room where Fleur was sitting on a bed. She was holding a small baby and everyone stood in complete shock, as if they hadn't been expecting to see a _baby_. "Everyone. This is Victoire. Victoire Gabrielle Weasley." Bill announced. Harry heard Fleur's sister gasp next to him.

"We already asked Charlee to be 'er godfather, but I was 'oping you'd be 'er godmother?" Fleur asked Gabrielle, who burst into tears immediately and started speaking in French too fast for Harry grasp more than a couple words.

"I hope this means she's happy." Ron whispered and they shared a smile. After Ron had left the Aurors and joined George at his shop, his friendship with Harry had gone back to what it had always been. Harry had to admit he was having a good year, as he had gotten both his best friend and his girlfriend back.

"Victore, _oui_ , for the anniversaree." They heard Madam Apolline say. Despite it being the anniversary of Fred's death, they were able to be truly happy for the new addition to their family.

* * *

Harry and Hermione were standing outside the Tonks' house, waiting for Andromeda to open the door for them. Visiting Teddy together every Sunday had become part of their lives, and Harry was pleased to have his best friend with him whenever he got the chance to see his godson.

"Hello, Harry, Hermione. Come inside." Andromeda welcomed them. Harry could hear Teddy running around and babbling to himself. "I'm afraid he's more excited than usual today." She added.

"Hawee!" Teddy shouted as soon as he saw Harry. "Pay Kiwitch?" And he offered his toy broomstick to his godfather. Laughing, Harry put Teddy on it and accompanied the toddler as he floated.

"That boy is obsessed with that broomstick." Andromeda told Hermione. "I've heard that Bill and Fleur's child was born this week."

"Yes, her name is Victoire. She was born on the second." She replied before laughing when she saw Teddy telling Harry that it was his turn to fly. Turning her attention back to Andromeda, Hermione continued: "She's the prettiest baby, of course. And completely healthy."

"That's good to know, very good."

"No, Teddy, the broomstick is too small for me, see?" Harry pretended to sit on it and Teddy clapped.

"Go, Hawee!" The toddler shouted, clearly oblivious. Harry, Hermione and Andromeda laughed at his genuine happiness. He continued to run around as much as he could, and they even caught him changing his hair to green, his favourite colour of the moment.

A few hours later, Harry and Hermione were having some coffee together, still talking about Teddy and how different his childhood was compared to Harry's. While he had forgiven the Dursleys a long time ago, it still hurt Harry to think of how much he had missed as a child.

"You're a great godfather, Harry, you really are." Hermione assured him. It was a common subject for them, as Harry was always wondering if there was more he could do for Teddy. "That little boy loves you so much, I honestly don't see what else you could be doing. What matters is that you're there for him and he knows it."

"I know." Harry sighed. They sat in silence, though their quiet moments were never uncomfortable. Harry was always impressed by that, as he would usually feel the pressure to keep a conversation going when he was with other people. "I just. I know what it's like to be an orphan and feel like you don't really belong anywhere. He's Remus's son, he deserves better than that."

"Don't worry, Harry." She took his hand and squeezed it. "We'll make sure that he never feels like that. Besides, now that Victoire is born, Teddy will even have someone around his age to play with. In a few years, of course." Hermione added with a smile.

"That's true. I'm really happy for Bill and Fleur, after all that we've been through…" He paused for some seconds. "It's good to see a family together like that." Harry finished somewhat lamely, unsure of how to put his feelings into words. He was thankful when Hermione nodded in understanding.

"I know what you mean. Seeing them together this week with their daughter gave me hope for the future. We've all moved on, but sometimes it doesn't feel like our lives have actually begun." Hermione shuddered before taking a deep breath. "Sometimes I wake up at night feeling silly for even thinking that we're free. Are we being naïve, Harry? Is it all really over?" She whispered. It was Harry's turn to squeeze her hand.

"There'll always be evil in the world, Hermione, and you and I know that. But we're also ready to fight it. And that's what we'll do, for as long as we have to. For the people we love." He told her. "And we'll do it together, I promise you."

"Of course." She replied with a chuckle. "And speaking of people we love, was I imagining things at St. Mungo's or did Ginny kiss you when you arrived?" Hermione asked, clearly teasing her best friend. Harry rolled his eyes and laughed at her.

"Yes, Ginny and I have gotten together last month. We're taking it slowly, so calm down." He quickly added. "I'm just tired of keeping my life on hold. Voldemort is gone, Hermione. And it was a terrible war, but that's over too. We deserve to be happy now, and Ginny…" Harry beamed. "She makes me very happy."

"I'm really glad to hear that, Harry. You're absolutely right, you deserve to be happy." She said, nodding as she spoke. "And I'm also glad to see how much better you seem to be doing lately. When we first started visiting Teddy, it was like there was a cloud over your head, but now? I can see you living your life, Harry. And it's a lovely thing to see." Hermione finished, her cheeks blushing. However, she kept her eyes on Harry's eyes and she noticed that, while he was also blushing, he had a huge smile on his face.

"Thank you, Hermione. Really." He finally told her. "I mean, you didn't have to be so bloody cheesy about it…" Harry laughed when she slapped his wrist. "But I really should've thanked you much sooner. Talking to you every week after seeing Teddy has been really helpful." Hermione sighed as she felt his best friend turning more serious and took his hand again.

"It's been good to me too. I think that we'll always be sorting things out, but at least we can do it together?" She suggested and Harry smiled.

"Of course. And since we are sorting things out, what's going on between you and Ron?" He asked her, noting how quickly she looked away. "You said you wanted to finish your education before starting a relationship, but it's May already and, well… I'm confused." Hermione huffed at that.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was signing a contract when I said that." She spat at him. Harry didn't say anything, as he knew that Hermione needed a few seconds for herself. When she realised she had snapped at him, she looked down. "I _am_ sorry about that. I know you didn't mean it that way." Hermione whispered. "I do want to go on dates with Ron, Harry. I want to call him my boyfriend, I want to hold his hand and…"

"And snog him senseless?" He finished for her, teasing her as she had teased him earlier. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Very mature, Harry." She said. "But yes, that does sound appealing to me." Hermione added with a wink. "The problem is that he's, you know… _Ron_."

"Well…" Harry started, but paused, feeling confused. "I thought that was what you liked about him?"

"It is, don't get me wrong." Hermione quickly replied. "You just, you know what he's like. Everything is well now, he's happy at the shop, he's not moody. We'd have a great time, Harry." She took a deep breath and he could see the pain in her eyes. "But what happens when something doesn't go his way? He'll get angry again and lash out and push me away… I don't want to keep going through that. It hurts too much."

They sat in silence once more, while Harry thought about what Hermione had told him. He could see what she meant, as he knew how terrible Ron's temper could be. On the other hand, Ron had matured a lot in the last few months, and he felt it was unfair to judge his best friend over his actions during their admittedly difficult teenage years.

"Listen, Hermione. I'll support you no matter what, always. You have my word." Harry finally told her. "I know that sometimes Ron can be…"

"Difficult?" She offered when he paused.

"A wanker." He corrected her, and they laughed. "But that's _sometimes_. He's grown up a lot lately and I feel like he deserves a chance. I wouldn't say that if I didn't believe it." Harry assured her. "I want the best for you, Hermione. You said earlier that I deserve to be happy, but so do you. And maybe I'm wrong, maybe he isn't the one who can make you happy. But I know him as well as I know myself and I think he is the one."

"Now who's being overly sentimental? Or should I say ' _bloody cheesy_ '?" Hermione replied and they chuckled a little. She sighed once they had become serious again. "You're right, of course. I just need some time to make sure he has changed."

"As I said, whatever you choose, Hermione. I'm with you."

* * *

The months passed by rather quickly, with Ginny and the Holyhead Harpies having a great season, Harry seeing Teddy grow up as a very happy toddler, Ron enjoying himself and Hermione quickly rising in her department. It was almost the end of October and George had just sent Ron home when the door of the shop opened.

"We're closed!" He yelled from the back, tired from all the customers getting ready for Halloween. When he didn't hear the person leaving, he huffed and made his way to the door. "I said that we're closed! Oh." George froze for a few seconds when he saw Angelina standing there with tears in her eyes. "Angie? What happened?" He asked her as he quickly walked towards her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry." She finally said. "I didn't know where to go." He led her to the back of the shop and found her a chair. "He dumped me." Angelina told him after some minutes. "How stupid is this? I've been seeing him for four months and I'm acting like it's the end of the world." She scoffed at herself.

"It's not stupid." George whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry it didn't work out, Angie." He added, trying his best to sound sympathetic. During the last few months, he had realised he had feelings for Angelina. As hard as he tried to ignore them, it was impossible, and the guilt was unbearable to George.

"Yes, it is." Angelina whispered back. "I don't even know what I saw in him. He was so…" She hiccupped. "Serious. So unlike Fred. How could I date such a humourless guy, George?" She asked him, making him shrug.

"You don't need to look for a guy like Fred." George replied, feeling very uncomfortable. "I'm sure there are lots of great guys out there who are the total opposite of him."

"You have a point, I guess." She said. "It's not about him, though, George. I just… I miss being with a _fun_ guy." She froze for a few seconds, startling him. Then, Angelina stood up and put a hand on his face, making him shiver. "You're fun."

"I…" George had to admit that he was rarely caught speechless. He had always prided himself in having a comeback for everything. However, words failed him completely at that moment. Angelina gave him a sweet, quick kiss on the lips, which finally snapped him out of his daze. "No, Angie. This." He cleared his throat. "It can't happen. You're upset and you'll regret this later, let's just not."

"Oh, come on, George. Have you ever seen me do something I didn't want to do?" Angelina asked him, raising an eyebrow. He said nothing, as they both knew the answer to that question. "I just want one night of fun. I could go out right now, find a relatively fun guy and have a fun night. I'd rather have this fun night with you, though."

George didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

The Christmas party at the Burrow was in full swing when Harry arrived. He was quickly welcomed by Ginny, and they were holding hands in no time. While some of her brothers still teased him a little about it, Harry had gotten used to it. He was simply too happy to be surrounded by people he considered his family, especially with Andromeda and Teddy also attending the party.

"Well, now that our hero has arrived!" Bill exclaimed, sending a good-natured smile at Harry. "Fleur, Victoire and I have an announcement to make!" Molly gasped at that and started fanning herself with her own hands. "That's right, Mum." He chuckled. "We're having a second child!"

Everyone started cheering and congratulating the couple, though there were some awkward moments as well. Fleur had made it clear she wanted to start her own career, and this new pregnancy was obviously a delay in her plans. Still, she was glowing with happiness, while Bill couldn't look more joyous even if he tried it.

It was much later, when all the guests had left, that George woke up with a strange tapping noise. He sat up, still confused – and slightly drunk – and looked around. Finally, he saw Angelina floating outside his window. He quickly got out of his bed and opened it for her.

"Angie! Are you insane? It's freezing outside." George whispered while Angelina set her broomstick next to his desk in silence. "What happened? Why are you here?" She shrugged, though he could see how tense she was. "Angie?"

"Well…" She sighed. "Do you remember _that_ night? Our fun night?" Angelina finally asked him.

"Sure?" George replied. _As if I could ever forget it_ , he thought.

"Good, that's good." She said, clearly stalling. George entertained the idea that she wanted another night of fun, which was both confusing and exciting to him. He hadn't gotten used to having feelings for Fred's ex-girlfriend, though at least his guilt had greatly diminished. "About that night." Angelina paused and looked at his face. "I'm pregnant."


	4. Chapter Four - 2001

**CHAPTER FOUR – 2001**

William Arthur Weasley quietly stood up from his chair, kissed his daughter's forehead and left her bedroom. He had taken to reading bedtime stories to Victoire every night until she would fall asleep, even though she could only understand a few basic words. While there were still some months left for their second child to be born, Bill and Fleur had already prepared everything, which was why they had just bought a second crib.

"Is she asleep already?" She asked when he entered their bedroom. Bill nodded before joining Fleur in the bed.

"Like an angel, as usual." He replied with an easy smile on his lips. Then, he sighed. "This is going to be quite the year." Bill said. Fleur raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for him to clarify what he had meant. "I mean, Percy is getting married in three months, you and I are getting little Billy," Fleur snorted, though she was used to him making that joke all the time. "George and Angelina are…" He paused with a frown.

"They will be fine, my love." She told him, running her hand through his red hair. "They may get togezer, maybe not, but ze baby will be loved. It is all that matters." Fleur assured him, though she could see Bill still had his doubts about George's future. "And we will help, _oui_?"

"Of course." He nodded. Bill made himself more comfortable on their bed and took one of Fleur's hands. "Let's talk about us, though. I know you're happy about this pregnancy, but I also know you were planning on getting a job this year." Fleur shrugged at that, trying to make it seem like it didn't matter, but Bill shook his head. "This is important, Fleur. Family comes first, yes, but it's not the only thing in life. I'm sure we can figure something out once little Billy is about a year old, but we need to start planning."

"I know, Bill." Fleur said. "I 'ave been reading about the Ministry and I would love to join ze Department of Foreign Affairs and Sports. I am just waiting for ze right moment." She finished making him smile.

"You've already thought about everything, haven't you?" Bill laughed when he saw her rolling her eyes.

"Surprised?" Fleur asked, and he shook his head. "Good." She winked at him.

* * *

Harry had never been into dancing, but, when Ginny told him, in no uncertain terms, that she would be dancing on her brother's wedding with or without him, he had quickly gotten out of his chair and taken her hand. Ron scoffed at his best friend, though Harry saw him using the opportunity to ask Hermione for a dance.

"Things seem to be going well for them." He whispered in Ginny's ear as they held each other. "For a few months, I was worried that nothing was going to happen." Harry added when he remembered all the times Ron had complained about Hermione not giving him a chance.

It hadn't been an easy transition, but Harry was glad to see Ron and Hermione's relationship finally flourishing. She would often say that Ron's inability to take things seriously was bothering her, though Harry knew Hermione was relieved that his bad temper was a thing of the past.

"It was a matter of time, Harry. Just like us." Ginny replied with a content sigh. "Merlin, I can't believe Percy got married. And George is going to be a father. George!" She said, making Harry chuckle.

"Audrey and Percy are quite the pair." He told her and they watched the newlyweds sitting together. Ginny had to admit that she had never seen her brother looking so comfortable in his own skin. "And I'm sure George will be just fine. I'm shocked they haven't gotten married, though." Harry muttered as an afterthought.

"You're shocked that an independent woman didn't drop everything to get married when she realised she was pregnant?" Ginny questioned him, raising one eyebrow. "Why, Harry, I didn't know we had gone back a few centuries."

"That's not what I meant, Gin." He said, clearly upset. "I just…" Harry paused, trying to find a way to express his feelings correctly. Ginny continued dancing with him, giving him time to think. After some minutes, he sighed. "You're right. That was a tad…"

"Stupid?" She offered. He glared at her, though they both knew he wasn't actually mad at her.

"Old-fashioned." Harry replied and Ginny laughed. "Anyway, moving on... Neville told me earlier this week that he is going to leave the Aurors." He told her. "I guess it'll just be me there from now on."

"I'm sorry, Harry." Ginny said. "I know how hard it is to be away from close friends. I miss Luna so much, I can't wait for her to come back." Harry nodded in understanding and stopped dancing so that they could hug. "But we all have our paths to follow, right?"

* * *

Draco was having a bad day. In fact, he was having a terrible day. He had spent the last two years of his life hiding in Malfoy Manor. While it was more comfortable than being locked up in Azkaban, Draco wanted more. He wanted to _live_.

And so, against his parents' _suggestions_ , Draco had put on his best robes that day and gone to the Ministry. He thought he was rather reasonable. He was an intelligent young man from a wealthy and traditional family. Surely they would offer him a position.

Draco was appalled when people offered him many things, one more dreadful than the other. He wasn't naïve, he understood he had been in the wrong side of the war. But he hadn't expected so much hatred. After all, Draco himself had been rather young when Voldemort had returned – not even fifteen.

"What's _this_ doing here?" Someone asked loudly, pointing at him. Others were quick to join, and soon Draco was surrounded by an angry mob. "Your time is over, go back to Death Eater land where you belong!"

"Listen, that's not who I am!" Draco tried to say, but nobody heard him. Before he knew it, everything went dark.

When Draco managed to open his eyes again, the bright light was too painful. Everything hurt, though, so he knew it wasn't the light's fault. Draco groaned and immediately regretted it, as it had triggered a new set of aching all over his body.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy." He heard. "Can you hear me?"

"Unfortunately." Draco muttered. When that was met with silence, he forced himself to open his eyes and saw a young woman staring at him. "I apologise for that. It wasn't personal, I am just in so much pain." He groaned again.

"That's understandable." She replied. "My name is Astoria Greengrass and I'm here to help you with anything you might need."

"Greengrass? Like Daphne?" Draco asked her, finally focusing on her and recognising her face. "Right, I remember you. Daphne was glad when you got sorted into Slytherin, like us." He reminisced.

"That's correct." Astoria smiled at him, but there was something else. He looked at her for a few seconds and realised there was pity in her eyes. Draco felt himself getting angry – and ashamed. Yes, he had been attacked for no good reason by strangers, but he didn't need her pity, nor anyone else's for that matter.

"Well, this was fun, but I should get going." He said as he stood up. His body ached everywhere, but Draco wouldn't let himself grimace. His pride couldn't take more pity. Astoria tried to stop him and he quickly waved her away. "I feel fine and I'd like to go home now, Greengrass. Thank you for your concern." And he left before she had the chance to say anything.

* * *

Harry had been working on a particularly dangerous mission for the last two months, and he was very relieved when he was finally able to go home and rest. However, as soon as he arrived, Kreacher informed him he had gotten three letters from Ginny that day. Without a second thought, Harry Apparated to the Burrow and frantically knocked on the door.

"Merlin's beard! Harry!" Mr. Weasley said when he opened it. "You gave us quite the scare!" Harry looked behind Arthur and saw the rest of the family pointing their wands at him.

"I'm sorry." He muttered. "Kreacher told me that Ginny had been trying to reach me all day and I just… I panicked." Harry finished, feeling stupid. He was startled when the Weasleys laughed.

"Poor boy. Come inside, Harry." Mrs. Weasley told him, a huge smile on her face. "You see, George's son was born earlier today!" She announced while also hugging him. "A fine boy, he is."

"Frederick Filius Weasley." Ginny added, waiting for her mother to let Harry go. "And George and Angelina asked Ron and I to be his godparents, can you believe it?" She kissed him and took his hand, leading him to the kitchen. "I guess three letters were a bit much…" Ginny whispered to herself, making Harry chuckle.

"That's great, Gin, it really is. I'm happy for them. And for you and Ron too." He told her, feeling relieved. "Filius?" Harry asked after a few minutes.

"Professor Flitwick always thought that Fred and George were brilliant." Ron answered. "I guess it felt right for them. Especially since his name starts with an F." He added with a shrug. When he noticed the look on confusion on Harry's face, he laughed. "George Gideon, Frederick Fabian? Mum had a theme going on when they were born."

"Hush, you." Mrs. Weasley said. Harry noticed there were tears in her eyes and didn't press the matter any further. As joyful as the moment was, they could never completely forget all their loved ones who were gone.

"Well, I can't wait to meet him." He blurted out, trying to lighten up the mood. In no time, the Weasleys were telling Harry everything he had missed, which included a desperate George having a mild meltdown.

* * *

One month later, it was Fleur and Bill's second time in the Maternity ward of St. Mungo's. Harry was glad that he was able to be there for them once again, and he quietly joined Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny and Hermione as the group made their way to Fleur's room.

"Oh, 'ello." She whispered while holding her second child. "This is Dominique Apolline Weasley." Fleur told them, beaming. Everyone gathered around the bed, mesmerised by the new-born.

"And we were wondering…" Bill started. He looked at his wife and she nodded in encouragement. "Harry, Hermione. You are part of our family, not by blood, but by love. And we'd be extremely honoured if you'd be our daughter's godparents, as we know you'd love her like you love all of us."

Harry was surprised, as he had never imagined that Bill and Fleur thought so highly of him. Next to him, Hermione gasped and took his hand, squeezing it harder than he thought she was able to. He didn't have to look at her to know that his best friend was tearing up. Of course, he couldn't claim that his eyes were completely dry either.

"Bill, Fleur." Harry finally said, feeling like words would fail him. "I. I mean, of course." He turned his head to Hermione and she was nodding and Harry could see she was as moved he was. "I had never thought you'd even consider me." He added with a chuckle.

"Don't be ridiculous, 'Arry. You saved my sister's life, remember?" Fleur replied.

"She wasn't really in danger, though." Harry reminded her and she laughed.

"No, she was not. But you didn't know that. You gave up on beating us all just to take her with you because it was ze right thing to do. That is the kind of man I want as my daughter's godfather." She told him. Harry didn't see the point in holding back his tears any longer.

* * *

"And now Hermione and I are Dominique's godparents." Harry told Andromeda, while Hermione was sitting on the floor playing with Teddy. "It was a huge surprise, but a good one, of course. Victoire seems to be enjoying having a baby sister, though she's only a year, so it's hard to tell."

"Harry." Teddy said, dropping his toy. "You my godfather. Just my?" He asked. Harry smiled at the little boy.

"I'm your godfather, yes, but I'm also Dominique's godfather now. Her parents chose me, just like your parents did." He explained and Teddy nodded, but stayed silent. After a few seconds, he looked at Harry with a frown.

"My parents?" Nobody said anything, and Andromeda quickly excused herself to check on the kitchen. Harry couldn't remember them ever saying anything to Teddy about Remus and Tonks and suddenly felt very ashamed of that.

"Your parents were amazing." He told the boy. "Your father was Remus Lupin and he was a brave and kind man. He wanted the world to be a good place for you, Teddy." Harry smiled. "Your mother was Nymphadora Tonks, but she liked to be called Tonks. She was very funny and someone who would always do the right thing. She loved you very much. They both did."

Teddy nodded, but still remained quiet, which was very strange. They could rarely make him stop speaking, and so Harry started to worry. He sent a panicked look to Hermione, who nodded and took a deep breath before taking Teddy's hands.

"Your parents were wonderful people, Teddy-bear. I'm sorry you never got the chance to meet them, but you can ask anything about them and we'll always tell you as much as we can." She said as gently as possible.

"Why they not here?" Teddy finally asked and Harry felt a pang in his heart.

"Bad people took them away from us." He replied before Hermione could. Harry was sure she would've known what to say, but he believed that he should be the one to tell Teddy about it. "They took your parents away from us forever. And it hurts, Teddy. Bad people took my parents away when I was a baby too. It's not fair that it happened to us, but all we can do now is focus on the good things we know about them."

"Okee." Teddy whispered, and Harry was deeply saddened by the boy's tone. While he was certain that Teddy hadn't fully grasped what had just been said, Harry knew that his godson had understood enough to realise that there was something important missing in his life.

When Harry went home, he promised himself that Teddy would grow up knowing everything about Lupin and Tonks, from their personalities to their convictions. His godson had the right to appreciate how heroic his parents had been, and also to understand what their sacrifice in the Battle of Hogwarts had truly meant. Harry was certain that Teddy needed to know, once he was older, that his parents had given their lives to make sure he could grow up in a better place.

* * *

George sat in the dark by himself after he had closed his shop. He loved his son, Freddie, and wanted to visit him, but he couldn't go to Angelina's house. They had talked the night before and she had told him, once again, that she wanted to stay single. George had never expected to fall in love with her. And yet, he had, and there was nothing he could about it. With a sigh, he left his shop and ran into the last person he had thought he'd see that day.

"Luna?" George asked in shock. "I thought you were travelling around the world, looking for strange creatures?"

"Strange creatures? That's not a nice way of talking about the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks now, is it?" She replied in her dreamy voice as usual. George laughed, though there was something unusual about it. Then, he realised was surprised to hear himself laughing.

"You know what, Luna? You're right. That was not nice at all, I'm sorry." He finally said. "How was your trip? Did you find the, erm, Corn-Horned Snorlax?"

"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks." She corrected him with a smile. "Alas, no, not this time. However, I mustn't despair." Luna added. "Neither must you." George was, yet again, shocked. It was probably obvious, as Luna made sure to clarify: "You seem awfully sad and that doesn't match your aura. You have a very happy aura, you know?"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." George replied, unsure of where the conversation was going. She smiled at him.

"Glad, yes. That's the spirit. Good night, George." And Luna walked away, leaving a very confused George behind.

* * *

Harry was nervous. He had talked to Ron and Hermione about his decision and he was sure of it. But he also knew that it could all go wrong, and that wasn't exactly a soothing thought. When Ginny arrived at the restaurant for their ' _fancy date_ ', as she had called it, he questioned the Sorting Hat's judgement. Harry certainly felt anything but brave at that moment.

"Sorry I'm late." Ginny said as she kissed him on the lips and sat down. "Practise was brutal today." She explained while checking the menu. Then, she focused her attention on him. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Audrey is pregnant! I'm too young to have so many nieces and nephews, don't you think?" She laughed, but stopped when she noticed the look on Harry's face. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing wrong, Gin. Audrey, wow. Percy, father. Big news." He rambled, feeling unable to connect the words to each other. Ginny looked at him with concern, but decided to drop it.

"Well, if you're sure…" She said. "Oh, I also have news about Luna. She's back! George ran into her yesterday and I'm looking forward to visiting her this week. I can only imagine the stories she'll tell me." Ginny paused for a few seconds. "Actually, no I _can't_ imagine the stories she'll tell me. That's the thing about Luna, isn't it? We never know what she's going to say."

"Right. Luna. That Luna, always so unpredictable." Harry sputtered. He wasn't sure, but he could've sworn his voice sounded nothing like it usually did. This time, Ginny wasn't able to ignore his unusual behaviour.

"Harry, you're sweating. Do you have a fever? We can go home, I'm sure Mum would make you a delicious soup and you should be much better in the morning." Ginny started standing up, but Harry quickly took her hand to stop her.

"No, no, no fever. I just." He paused and took a deep breath. "Ginny, will you marry me?"


	5. Chapter Five - 2002

**AN :** I'm sooo sorry for the delay. Life has been chaotic, I started college and got a job, which are all good things... but I lost the habit of writing in this process. However, I'm back!

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE – 2002**

Hermione Jane Granger sighed as she finally closed her eyes. She doubted she'd be able to sleep after the long day she had had. The witch truly enjoyed the work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but she couldn't avoid feeling frustrated. Hermione knew she could change things in their society, if only they'd let her.

As she gave up on getting any sleep, the young woman made her way to the kitchen and started making some coffee. She knew it'd be a long night, going over more documents, trying to find a way to make things better. Before the coffee was ready, though, someone knocked on her door.

It was late and Hermione didn't have too many friends, especially ones that would visit her without notifying her. She quickly grabbed her wand while her heartbeat increased. The person outside knocked again and Hermione cursed herself for dropping the defence spells she had used during the war. With a shaky breath, she cautiously moved closer to the door.

"Who's there?" She asked, ready to attack.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hermione. I should've sent an owl before dropping by, but, honestly, I got distracted by this interesting book I've been reading about the Gulping Plimpies and, before I knew it, I was here already."

Hermione chuckled as she opened the door. Luna smiled pleasantly at her and got inside without an invitation. Luna never needed to be told anything, she simply did as she pleased. During previous years, Hermione had been bothered by the blonde's… everything. However, she had come to truly appreciate Luna and her ways. Even her beliefs, as insane as they sounded to Hermione.

"I'm glad I caught you awake, though…" Luna paused and studied her friend's face. "Maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Are you feeling well, Hermione?"

"Oh. I'm fine." She replied, feeling the weight of stress and exhaustion. When Luna said nothing, Hermione realised there was no lying to her and shrugged. "I mean, work has been insane lately, but it's just a phase. I'll try to get some rest soon, I promise."

"If you say so, then I believe you. You're a woman of your word, that you are." She stated while nodding to herself. Then, as abruptly as only Luna could be, she stopped, sat down on Hermione's favourite chair and took a deep breath. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here."

"It's crossed my mind, yes." Hermione told her. After a few seconds of silence, she added: "Are you planning on solving this mystery for me or will I be wondering about this for some time?"

"Well, if you must know… I have found myself in a, shall we say, dilemma." Luna said. "You see, I love working with magical creatures. You work at the department in the Ministry that involves them, so you know how important they are." Hermione nodded at this.

"So…" She thought about Luna's words and came to a conclusion. "Are you looking for a job? At the Ministry?"

"Merlin, no!" The blonde laughed and shook her head. "We should speak freely with each other, don't you think? I believe that you and I both know I don't belong in an office at the Ministry. Too much paperwork, not enough room for creativity. I work better out there, following my own instincts."

"I can't disagree with you there, Luna." Hermione said, knowing in her heart that Luna would never stop being… Luna. "However, I have to admit that I'm confused, then. How can I help you?"

"It's quite simple, really. I wanted your opinion. About Scamander."

"Newt Scamander? I guess that my opinion is the same as everyone else's? He's quite the genius in his field, a legend, even." She replied, but Luna was already shaking her head.

"Not Newt. Rolf. Newt's grandson. I'm assuming that you've heard of him at work." Luna said. Hermione simply nodded, unsure of where the conversation was going. Which, when she thought about it, was quite common when the conversation involved Luna.

"I have, yes. He seems to be a good magizoologist, not unlike Newt himself. Apparently, he's been working on something new in the last couple years, but nobody knows what it is." Hermione answered. Luna smiled happily at her.

"Yes! That's what I was hoping to hear! You see, Hermione, I dream of being a great magizoologist one day. I know it won't be easy, but…" She paused and, for the first time in a long time, Hermione saw a faint trace of insecurity in Luna. "If I were to find Rolf, maybe I could convince him of letting me work with him. And then I could learn so much!"

"Well, Luna, I think that'd be amazing." Hermione took her friend's hand and smiled at her. "I honestly think it's a good plan for you. I have a good feeling about this."

* * *

Draco cursed under his breath as he left the Ministry. He had been unsuccessful. Once again. Despite doing everything he could to prove that he was no longer the silly boy he had once been, nobody wanted to give a Malfoy a job. He wasn't stupid, of course. He understood people's concerns about him.

But, at some point, he had expected them to give him a chance to rehabilitate. Draco had no interest in the Dark Arts, nor did he care about blood purity. He simply wanted to be part of their society. He wanted a job, he wanted responsibilities. He wanted friends, he wanted a girlfriend. Draco wanted a life.

"This is unfair. I should sue them all for prejudice." He quietly said to himself. And then he froze. Draco thought about what he said for a few seconds and smiled. "Yes…" He whispered. "This could work." And, just like that, Draco Apparated to the Advocates to the Wizarding World building, determined to stay there until they gave him a chance.

* * *

Soon, it was June, which meant it was time for one of the most expected weddings of all time. Harry had never felt so nervous before in his life, though he was sure he had never felt so happy before either. He took a long look at all the people who had accepted their invitation and he was touched by so many familiar faces.

"Ready, mate?" Ron asked him. "Because, if you're not…" He chuckled. "Tough luck, you're doing this either way. I'm not letting you abandon my baby sister." He finished, playfully punching Harry's shoulder. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Please, Ronald, are you unable to take anything seriously?" She huffed. Ron laughed. "I guess that answers it, doesn't it?" Hermione muttered, clearly annoyed, before clearing her throat and focusing on Harry. "Don't worry. It's completely natural to feel anxious about this. It's one of the biggest moments of your life."

"But no pressure." Ron quietly added. Not quietly enough, as Harry saw Hermione glaring at him.

"The point here is that, no matter how anxious you're feeling right now, how does it feel to imagine yourself waking up next to Ginny everyday? Or taking beautiful children to the Hogwarts Express with Ginny?" She asked him. Harry thought about those scenarios.

"It feels…" He said, and paused. Then, he looked at Hermione and gave her an enormous smile. "It feels bloody awesome." She smiled back at him and they hugged.

"Attaboy, Harry! You even managed to tame Herms!" Ron joked. Hermione let go of Harry and walked away without a word. "Bollocks, not again." He muttered.

"What's going on between you two?" Harry asked him. Ron shrugged, visibly bothered by what had happened.

"She says that she can't have a serious conversation with me." He finally said. "I can't help it, though, can I? I'm not a serious bloke, Harry, you know that. Everybody knows that!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah, you've got a point there, mate." Harry replied. "But, if I may give you some advice…" He added cautiously. Ron gave him a curt nod. "Listen, I'm getting married today, so I have a long road ahead of me. I'm not claiming to be an expert on this. But I've learnt a lot with Ginny. And one thing in particular is that you've got to listen to what they say."

"I listen to her." Ron grumbled.

"Hermione is going through a lot at work, Ron. I'm sure she appreciates how you can lighten the mood, but she also needs you to actively be part of her serious conversations about her life. If she can't talk to you about what's bothering her in the Ministry without you making ten jokes about it, she won't talk to you at all. And then, well…" Harry paused. "Then I guess things won't work between you."

"Blimey, Harry. Are you saying she could actually break up with me because of this?" Ron asked, his face going pale. Harry shrugged.

"I hope not, but maybe you should make an effort for her. She's Hermione, she's worth it, yeah?"

"Of course."

* * *

Harry was surprised by how quickly the ceremony went. Before he realised what was happening, the wedding party was already in full motion. He laughed when he saw Charlie dancing with Mrs. Weasley, and then he laughed harder when he saw George trying to convince McGonagall to dance with him as well.

"It's good to see them happy again, isn't it?" Neville asked him. "The Weasleys, I mean. I'm sure they'll always miss Fred – who won't? – but…" He sighed with a smile on his lips. "But this feels nice."

"It really does, Nev." Harry replied, glad that his good friend was able to be there. "How have you been?" He asked him.

"Bored, if I'm being honest. When I left the Aurors, I was sure that I'd know exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Turns out that I'm still waiting to figure it out." Neville chuckled. "Interestingly enough, I had a similar conversation last week. With Hannah Abbott, of all people, remember her?"

"Of course I do." Harry said. "One of the bravest people I've ever met. I remember that she was part of the D.A. back in our fifth year. Her mother was murdered soon after that, wasn't she?"

"She was, yeah." Neville answered, visibly upset, though he quickly recovered. "But she went back to Hogwarts while Voldemort was in control and she did everything she could to help us. She might be a Hufflepuff, but she's as brave as a Gryffindor."

"That's the thing about them. They're loyal despite anything in this world, including fear." Harry stated, feeling oddly proud of his fellow Hufflepuff friends. "Case in point, Cedric. He stood tall, next to me, until his very last breath. Hufflepuff is a great House. And I'm sure Hannah would be a great girlfriend." He added, with a quick wink. Neville laughed.

"Thanks for the support, Harry, but I'm not sure about dating anyone for now. My point here was that Hannah gave me some very good advice when I ran into her in the Leaky Cauldron. By the way, did you know she's the new landlady there? Anyway." He shook his head, trying to focus back into the conversation. "Anyway. She told me that we complicate things when we think about what to do next. And I think she's right. I keep thinking about what my father would want me to do, what my mother would want me to do, what Gran might think of my decision…"

"Neville, I'm sure your parents would just want you to be happy." Harry told him and Neville smiled.

"Exactly. I've got to do something that will make me happy. And that's what Hannah told me. She told me to think of something I love. I said I love Herbology. And she said, I kid you not, 'Great, now find a way of making that your career' and… Harry, that makes sense!" Neville exclaimed. Harry nodded at him.

"It does, it really does. You should definitely go for it, Nev." Harry said as he saw Teddy and Andromeda sitting at a table on their own. "Listen, I've got to talk to everyone, but it was great seeing you, mate."

"Right back at you, Harry."

Harry quickly joined his godson and his grandmother and he laughed when he saw Teddy changing his appearance to look like Harry himself. Andromeda chuckled, but he noticed she seemed upset as well.

"Hey, Teddy! How's everything?" He asked the four-year-old boy.

"I look like you! You my daddy now!" Teddy replied. Harry smiled, though he suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Teddy, on the other hand, saw Victoire, Fred and Dominique, and quickly got out of his seat. "I am big boy now, I help take care of the youngs."

Harry watched as he went up to Fleur and announced that he was there to help her. The French witch laughed and told him she could definitely use his help, making him smile proudly.

"He's quite the special boy, isn't he?" Andromeda muttered to Harry, still upset. Harry nodded, unsure of what was bothering her so much. Thankfully, she noticed his confusion and added: "He's been getting more and more restless about his parents. He keeps trying to look like you or the Weasleys and even Hermione at times, so that one of you will take him as a son."

"I'm so sorry, Andromeda." Harry finally said. "I'm sorry about everything. Remus and Tonks…" He paused as he felt the tears threatening to fall. "I wish they were here. Today. I wish more than anything I could've had them with me on this special day. I wish they could be with Teddy everyday because the three of them deserved that."

"I know." She patted Harry's hand. "They did. But you also deserve all the happiness in the world, young man, and I hope that today is just the beginning of it for you."

* * *

Less than two weeks later and the Weasleys were, once again, reunited. This time, however, they were at St. Mungo's. While Harry and Ginny were still in their honeymoon, the rest of the family was, for the most part, patiently waiting for the new addition to them.

"Relax, Percy. Everything will be fine. Trust me on this." Bill told his younger brother for the fifth time, right before he left to join Audrey. George chuckled before focusing on little Fred and Angelina again.

"Don't look so smug, I remember a certain someone having quite the meltdown when this little one was born." She quietly said, making George smile. They had finally reached an agreement about being as friendly as possible with each other for their son, despite the fact that they both knew that George wanted more than just a friendship with Angelina.

"Yes, well, what can I say? I live life intensely." He replied with another chuckle. Thankfully for them, being friends was something they could easily do, as they knew exactly how to get along with each other.

"That you do." Angelina muttered, clearly amused. "Merlin, I can't believe he's almost one year. Can you believe this?" She asked George. When she heard no reply, she looked up to his face, finding him lovingly watching their son. Without thinking, she took his hand in hers.

George finally snapped out of his daze and turned his attention to Angelina, feeling very confused. She smiled at him in a way that she had never done before and, for the first time in a long time, he felt like they had a chance.

"She's here! It was so fast!" Percy shouted as he joined them. They quickly followed him into the room. "Bill, Fleur, please. I'd like you to be her godparents."

"Of course, brother." Bill replied, hugging Percy.

"It'd bee an honour, oui." Fleur added.

"Thank you." Audrey said, smiling even though she seemed tired. "I'm sure our little Molly Audrey Weasley will be very happy about this."

Mrs. Weasley couldn't control herself and loudly, but happily, sobbed at that.

* * *

Christmas at the Weasleys' had become one of Harry's favourite traditions. He had always enjoyed being with them, but it had taken some time for everyone to start living their lives again after the war. He was glad to see everyone looking so happy.

Or, at least, almost everyone.

Hermione seemed miserable and frighteningly thin. Harry couldn't remember seeing her looking more unhealthy than she did. He gave Ginny a quick peck in the lips before making his way toward his friend. Harry sat down next to Hermione and enjoyed their moment of silence.

"So…" Hermione finally said after a few minutes. "A new baby." Harry chuckled as they watched Percy and Audrey with little Audrey.

"This family keeps getting bigger, huh? However, if we're talking about babies, I feel sorry, well, maybe not sorry…" Harry stuttered and paused, unsure of how to put it into words. Hermione waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "I guess I just understand that it must be frustrating for Fleur. She had been talking a lot about getting a position in the Ministry once Dom was a bit older and now that she's pregnant again…"

"Honestly, I can't even imagine that." Hermione muttered. "My career is everything." She added. "Don't get me wrong, Harry. Family is important and I'd love to get married and have children. Someday. In the future. First, though, I want to make a difference in the world."

"Again, you mean. Because we've done that before." He winked at her and she laughed. "But seriously, Hermione. I understand. I love my job. I love being an Auror. If it ever gets in the way of my family, I'd leave in a heartbeat. But it's easy for me to say that because I feel like I've already done so much there. I hope you get this feeling soon, you deserve it."

"Thank you, Harry. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever accomplish much in the Department for the Regulation…" She paused and looked around them, making sure that nobody was overhearing their conversation. "To be honest, and don't tell anybody about this, please, but I've asked to be transferred." Hermione whispered.

"If that's what it takes for you to do what you want to do, then you must know I fully support you in this." He told her and she offered him a grateful smile. "To which department are you planning to go?"

"The only one that can make a difference there, of course. Magical Law Enforcement." Hermione replied. Harry nodded in appreciation.

"That means we'd be working side by side on a few matters." He said. "Just like the good, old times."

"I can't wait to boss you around again, Mr. Potter."


	6. Chapter Six - 2003

**AN** **:** again, I'm sorry for staying away for so long... I love this story and I truly want to finish this! So... here we go!

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX – 2003**

Draco Lucius Malfoy smiled before leaving the Advocates to the Wizarding World building. He was genuinely happy to be working there, and he was even happier that his peers seemed to respect him. He was quickly building a name for himself and, with luck, he might even change the way people felt about the Malfoys.

 _Not with luck, Draco_ , he told himself, _but with dedication_.

Convinced that, after a rather tough case that had ended earlier that day, he deserved to treat himself, Draco went to the Leaky Cauldron and asked for a shot of Firewhisky. While he waited, he saw Longbottom and Abbott talking to each other and, unless he was mistaken – and Draco rarely was – he could've sworn he had seen the Gryffindor trying to take the witch's hand in his.

"Good for you, Longbottom." Draco muttered to himself.

"Talking to ourselves now, are we?" He heard someone say. He quickly turned his head and found himself looking at a familiar face, though he couldn't quite remember who she was. The young woman must've noticed his confusion, for she chuckled. "I don't suppose you'd remember me. We've met when you were sent to St. Mungo's a couple years back. I'm Astoria Greengrass."

"Right, Daphne's sister." Draco stated and was surprised when she chuckled again.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that. I'd rather be defined by who I am as a person, not by who my family is." She gently told him before sitting at his table. Draco had to admit that she was more easy-going than Daphne had ever been around him.

"I can relate to that, in a way. Not very easy, being a Malfoy, if you know what I mean." He said and she nodded in understanding. "Well, Greengrass, I can't drink on my own when I have company, so what are you having? Firewhisky as well? Or should I get you a Butterbeer instead?"

"Please, call me Astoria." She replied. "And my health isn't exactly the best in the world, so I try to avoid alcohol…" Astoria paused for a few seconds, giving Draco the impression that her health was a sore subject for her. "Would it be too rude if I were to drink a pumpkin juice?"

"Not at all, Gree—I mean, Astoria. I'll ask them to make the best pumpkin juice the place has seen in years." Draco told her as he got up from his chair and made his way to the bar. While he waited, he looked back at his table and was pleasantly surprised to find Astoria smiling at him. _Who knew Daphne's sister was so pretty?_

* * *

As the months went by, Teddy, Victoire, Fred, Dom and Molly kept getting bigger. And, before the Weasleys even knew what was happening, George and Angelina had had a second child, Roxanne Minerva Weasley, keeping their tradition of naming their children after Hogwarts professors they admired. Soon, they were talking about getting married, which made the original Molly Weasley happier than ever.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were happily getting to know each other as spouses. He was surprised by well they got along, though he was also surprised by how badly their tempers could clash at times. As Harry was building quite the reputation for himself as an Auror, he would often work late. And as Ginny was playing Quidditch professionally, she would often be in a different city, or even country. That meant they'd go days without seeing each other, which made them miss each other more and more, but also led to some frustration.

"I haven't seen her in three weeks. Three weeks, Hermione!" Harry ranted while the two of them had lunch together. "It's bloody impossible to make anything work like this, I'm telling you. You're lucky that Ron is always around."

"Harry, I know it can't be easy for you, but…" She paused when Harry glared at her. "Just listen to what I have to say before you shoot the messenger, please?" Hermione added and was glad when he dropped his defences and nodded. "All I'm saying is that you love Ginny for who she is. And she is a fantastic Chaser, among many other things too, of course. Would you really want her to drop everything to be your wife?"

"Of course not." Harry muttered. "I just miss her. A lot."

"And I'm sure she misses you too." She assured him. "I'm also sure you'd still have conflicts over not seeing each other even if she were here the whole time. I don't know if you've noticed this, Harry, but your schedule at work is insane."

"Ron says it's mental." Harry said with a chuckle.

"Yes, well, everything is mental to Ron." Hermione replied drily, making Harry realise he wasn't the only one having relationship issues.

"Anything you'd like to talk about?" He casually asked her. When all he got was an arched eyebrow, he held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, hey, don't shoot the messenger and all, remember? I love you and Ron, you know that, and I want to see the two of you as happy as you can be. But I keep seeing the two of you at odds with each other."

"I don't know if this will ever work, Harry. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Ron's moody days are gone, but now it's like he doesn't even know what the word serious means. I was telling him about the Lewis-Jackson case we had, remember?" Harry nodded. "And he literally said ' _what a flaming situation_ ' when I got to the huge fire disaster!" Hermione huffed at this. "I mean, a child almost died there, Harry!"

"I hear you." He said while fighting the urge to cringe. "To be fair, I'm sure he realised later it was a messed up thing to say." Harry added, even though Hermione seemed sceptical. "I'm serious, Hermione. I often get the impression that Ron is still adjusting to the new Ron. He's worked so hard to manage his anger issues that I feel like he's still unsure of how to balance all his emotions."

"That's oddly… insightful of you, Harry." Hermione finally said after a few seconds. Before Harry could laugh it off, she took his hand. "I mean it. You've grown up, Harry. You're no longer a reckless boy running into adventures for the fun of it. You're someone's husband now and that means something. And not just that, but I see you with Teddy and Dom, you're so good with them!"

"Blimey, Hermione, there's no need for all this." He quietly told her, but she could see that he was trying to hide some tears behind his glasses. Hermione gave him some seconds while he pretended he was just too interested in his food. Finally, he sighed. "You may have a point, though. I've caught myself trying to understand everyone better. Teddy, for example. He's a great kid, but he's going through something, trying to figure out what family means. And Dom…" Harry paused.

"What about her?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged. "She's not even two years old. I honestly don't see why everyone is so desperate to put a dress and a tiara on her." She scoffed.

"We aren't! At least, I'm not." He added quickly. "But you can't deny that Dom acts exactly like little Fred. And little Fred is a boy."

"Harry, they're toddlers." She reminded him. "I really don't think there's much of a difference between boys and girls when you're two years old. And, as someone who has been a girl her whole life? Believe me, dresses and tiaras and acting all girly and crossing your legs and dolls? Not that fun to some of us." Hermione said. "God, I miss Ginny. She'd completely agree with me on this one."

"Yes, well, I miss her too." Harry quietly muttered to himself.

* * *

Neville was having a good day. A great day, even. He was about to ask Hannah out on a date and he was very confident that she was going to say yes. However, he was so excited about his plan that he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going.

"Ouch! Sorry, sir." Neville said after running into a man. He quickly put his hand on his wand when he saw that the man was no other than Draco Malfoy.

"Longbottom." The Slytherin muttered. He noticed Neville's hand and chuckled. "Come on, now. The war is over, I'm just trying to live my life, same as everyone else."

"Of course you are." Neville replied, still ready to attack the wizard in front of him. Draco scoffed at him.

"Listen, Longbottom. I've got a regular job. I'm going to meet a lovely lady just now for a nice dinner. The last thing I want to do is fight you or anyone else. I'm done with all that, you see?" He said while slowly walking away from the Gryffindor. When Neville finally relaxed, Draco offered him a tiny smile. "There you go. Take care, Longbottom."

Neville watched as the man kept walking, feeling like something had deeply changed in his world. He had always seen Draco Malfoy as his enemy, in a way. Ever since they were boys, the Slytherin had treated him like dirt. And suddenly, there seemed to be no malice between the two of them.

Draco quickly made his way to the restaurant where Astoria was already waiting for him. He smiled at her as he sat down in front of her and made sure to comment how beautiful she looked. Astoria thanked him quietly, almost as if she didn't believe him.

"You know, Astoria, I've been thinking about this. Us." He clarified when she looked at him in confusion. "We've been seeing each other for some weeks now, months even, and I'm enjoying this a lot."

"But…?" Astoria interrupted him, seeming deflated. Before Draco could reply, she added: "I get it. We're young and you're not looking for anything serious. I'm Daphne's baby sister and you're Draco Malfoy."

"I don't know what that's supposed to mean." He told her after a few seconds of very uncomfortable silence. "But what I was going to say is that I believe I might have real feelings for you and, while this might sound a bit old-fashioned to some, I'd like you to meet my parents."

"What?" She asked Draco. "Your parents?" Astoria repeated, unsure of how to respond. On one hand, she was ecstatic to learn that Draco wanted something serious with her. On the other hand… "Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy?"

"I know, I know." Draco chuckled. "They don't have the best reputation, do they? But I assure you they just want to see me happy and you, Astoria…" He took her hand in his and smiled. "You make me happy."

* * *

When August finally came, the Weasleys were more excited than ever. At the end of July, George and Angelina had gotten married at last. And, soon after that, Louis Arthur Weasley was born. Everyone was particularly happy about so many events in their family, even though, when Harry and Ginny visited Bill and Fleur, they found out the couple had some new plans for their future.

"I love my children very much, ov course." Fleur told them. "And little Louis is simplee adorable." They all paused to see Victoire taking Dominique by the hand to brush her little sister's hair. "Just like his sisters. But I'm tired of taking care of children all year long, you see?"

"Of course." Harry said as he nodded.

"Which is why we've agreed to start taking the potions. No more children for us. Fleur is going to apply to a position in the Ministry next year and we're more than happy with these three monsters." Bill added. Before anyone could say anything else, they heard Dom shouting and running from Victoire.

"Mama! She won't let me brush her hair, how do I take care of her like this?" The little girl indignantly asked her mother. Fleur laughed as she made her way over her daughters while Bill shook his head.

"Dom has quite the temper, I tell you." He said, turning to his sister. "Did you know that Mum came over the other day and told me she was _worried_ about Dom?"

"Worried?" Ginny repeated.

"Apparently, _people_ have noticed that our little Dom thinks she's just like little Fred." Bill scoffed, while Harry felt himself getting red in the face as he remembered the conversation he had had with Hermione a few months back. "Now, I'm not going to lie to you, I don't quite understand what this means just yet, but all I see when I look at my daughter is one happy toddler. So I told Mum to mind her own business, which… "He chuckled." "Well, she wasn't pleased to hear that, but Fleur and I have talked about Dom already. We just want her to do her own thing like all children do, you know?"

* * *

It was a cold November evening when everything changed for Harry. He had just gotten home and was instantly surprised to see Ginny waiting for him. He smiled at her, even though he was confused. Harry had expected Ginny to be in Hungary until next week for an important match.

"Hey, Gin! What a lovely surprise!" He said before kissing her. However, she didn't seem to register his words. In fact, as Harry looked at her again, he realised his wife looked almost catatonic. "Ginny? What happened?" He asked her, feeling very concerned.

"I can't play." She finally told him.

"Why not? Ginny, talk to me." Harry begged her, confusion and fear dominating his emotions.

"Before every match we play, we have to get some exams done to make sure that we are fit to be on the field." Ginny whispered. Harry shook his head, thinking of terrible scenarios.

"Are you ill, Ginny? Is it serious? We can find the best Healers out there and we can solve whatever this is, we'll do it together, I promise you." He said, holding both of her hands. However, Ginny chuckled. He wasn't sure if she knew she was chuckling.

"We're having a baby, Harry."

* * *

Harry nervously watched the children playing by the Christmas tree, unable to stop thinking that he'd have a child of his own by the same time next year. While everyone else seemed to be enjoying the holidays, Harry kept wondering how he'd fare as a father. He didn't have the heart to tell Ginny or anyone else how insecure he felt about the whole thing, but, as usual, he couldn't hide anything from Hermione.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" She quietly asked him. Harry casually shrugged, trying to pretend he was simply relaxing with his family. Hermione shook her head at him. "Come on, Harry. You've been looking frightened ever since you told me about Ginny's pregnancy. You don't have to lie to me, you know? I'm not the Sorting Hat, I'm not going to unGryffindor you."

"I don't think that's a word, Hermione." Harry replied with a smile, making Hermione raise her eyebrows at him.

"Oh, so you consider yourself smarter than me now?" She exclaimed indignantly, but making sure he knew she was joking. Harry laughed at that and Hermione touched his arm gently. "Seriously, Harry. You can talk to me."

"Thanks, Hermione." He paused for a few seconds and they watched Teddy trying to teach Fred and Dom how to run around the tree. "This is a dream come true. A family of my own. I mean, I have the Weasleys obviously, Teddy and you too, of course." Harry added, earning a tearful smile from his friend. He sighed. "But a child? Me? A father? Am I even ready for this?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry, of course you aren't ready." Hermione said. Harry gaped at her and she held his hand. "I'm not saying that you'll be a bad father. I truly believe that you'll be a wonderful father, Harry, I do. But I don't think most people are ever ready to bring a child into the world. It's just one of those… _magical_ things… that happen in our lives." She gave him a few seconds to digest what she had told him. "What I'm trying to say here is that you will make many mistakes along the way, but every parent does. There isn't just one right way of parenting, so I'm sure you'll figure out what to do in your own way."

"I guess I understand what your point is." Harry muttered, though still a little confused.

"Harry, the best thing you can do for your child is to love and support them no matter what. And I have no doubt in my mind that you'll do that with all your heart." She hugged him and he welcomed the comfort in her presence and her words. When they let each other go, they saw Neville approaching them with Hannah Abbott.

"Nev, Hannah, how are you?" Harry quickly asked them, eager to change the subject to something less emotional than his imminent fatherhood. Thankfully, his friend offered him a pleasant smile and answered his question.

"Doing well, Harry, thanks. Hannah here has been great for me." Neville said, making his girlfriend blush a little. "I'm serious, Hannah. It's thanks to you that I'm pursuing Herbology."

"You'd have found your way eventually." She replied. "I have to say, though, I'm really glad to see you again." Hannah looked at Harry and Hermione, nodding at them. "You and the Weasleys, I mean. After the whole D.A. thing, I feel like we got so close to each other and then…" She trailed off. "Well, after the war, we all followed our own paths and lost contact."

"I'm sorry about that, Hannah." Harry told her, feeling slightly ashamed of himself for not staying in touch with so many people that had fought by his side. "I truly miss the D.A. and, you know, we should get everyone together sometime." _The ones who are still alive_ , he mentally added.

"I'd like that." Hannah said, a huge smile on her face. "We'll have to wait for Luna to come back, though. Neville has been in touch with her – good thing I'm not the jealous type – and, apparently, she found Scamander after all, can you believe that?" Harry chuckled.

"Oh, I absolutely can. I didn't doubt Luna for a second. That is one woman who can accomplish anything." He spoke, and they all nodded in agreement. Harry had to admit that his life was pretty good, despite his nervousness about the future. He had a loving wife, an amazing family, incredible friends and a career that he loved. It warmed his heart to see how much they all cared about and supported each other, even after an unsuccessful relationship such as the one Neville and Luna had had.

Harry had a pretty good life indeed.


	7. Chapter Seven - 2004

**AN :** I hope you guys are enjoying this! I'm trying to add some originality to it, but I have to admit it's a bit hard to do that while having to follow a timeline. That said, soon we'll reach Cursed Child and then the _real_ story will begin. I'm looking forward to it! ****

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN – 2004**

Ronald Billius Weasley looked at the mirror and realised how green his face was, though he had to admit that the fact wasn't particularly surprising. He had never been the kind of person who could hide his own emotions. As he fretted over his hair once more, Harry entered the room and smiled at his best friend.

"Nervous, mate?" He asked. Ron didn't bother replying, as his state of mind was obvious to anyone who could see him. Harry chuckled. "You know, you've told me so many times that Hermione was mental, but this is the first time I actually believe you. Why else would she marry a green git like you?"

"Sod off, Harry." Ron muttered. "This was a terrible idea. I'm not ready for this. I can't do it. Harry, you need to tell everyone this can't happen."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron." Harry said, shaking his head. "You love Hermione and she loves you. You're doing this and it'll be the best day of your life, trust me." When Ron failed to reply, Harry sighed and decided to take his friend's nervousness more seriously. "Look, I get it. I was a mess on the day that I married Ginny. And when I found out that she was pregnant. But both these situations were a good kind of anxiety. Trust me on this."

"Harry, what if…" Ron didn't finish his sentence at first. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and tried again. "What if it doesn't work? Hermione accepted to marry me, but it's no secret that she's been very frustrated with me lately. What do we do then?"

Harry stayed quiet for a moment. He had, of course, wondered the same himself. His relationship with Ginny was amazing and they were very happy together, but they didn't agree on everything and their arguments could get heated at times. That said, their fights were nothing like Ron and Hermione's.

"Well…" He began cautiously. "I won't lie to you, Ron. That is always a possibility. But you've known Hermione for almost fifteen years, don't you think that your feelings for each other are enough to last a lifetime?"

Ron thought about his friend's words. After a few seconds, he grinned at Harry.

"A lifetime or two, mate."

* * *

Harry sat next to Hermione and they watched some of the guests dancing for a while. Then, he focused on his friend and offered her a smile. Hermione was glowing and Harry couldn't remember the last time he had seen her that happy.

"Congratulations, Hermione. I'm glad Ron has finally made an honest woman out of you." He finally told her, making her roll her eyes at him.

"Honestly, Harry, you say the most old-fashioned things sometimes." She replied with an exasperation tone. "Besides, we both know that I'm the one making an honest man out of Ron." Hermione added.

"Someone had to take one for the team, don't you think?" He joked. "Seriously, Hermione, congratulations. I'm very glad for you both." Harry said, smiling at Hermione's parents as they joined them at the table. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."

"Please, Harry, call me Howard." The man waved him off with a smile. "Mr. Granger makes me feel too old." He stated, making Mrs. Granger laugh.

"Our daughter has just gotten married, Howie. I believe we are officially old now." She told him. Hermione shook her head at her parents. "It could be worse, though, we could be grandparents already."

"God, Mum, I'm not ready yet for that." Hermione quickly replied. "No offense, Harry, but it's too early for us. Ron and I still need to figure out how our lives will be as a married couple." She complemented and everyone at the table nodded at that.

* * *

While Hermione and Ron were starting their marriage, George and Angelina were happier than ever with theirs, raising their two children together. They had become frequent guests at Bill and Fleur's house and would often have dinner with the other couple. Little Fred and Dom were never seen apart, amusing the adults.

"Honestly, they remind me so much of you and Fred. _Our_ Fred, I mean." Bill said as they saw the two toddlers playing together. George nodded, a look of pain flashing quickly on his face. "You'd think they were siblings."

"Zey are cousins, it's not that different." Fleur reminded them. "We can see a lot of little Fred's influence on Dominique, she acts exactly like him."

"Molly was saying something like that last week." Angelina replied. "She seemed bothered by the fact that Vic had dressed them both as boys." She added with a chuckle. "It's so silly, we should be glad that they all get along, I mean… Roxanne and Louis are the same age and they couldn't be more different."

They all nodded and looked at the two one-year-olds. While Roxanne was never quiet for more than five minutes, Louis could stay in silence for an entire day. In fact, Bill and Fleur were perplexed by their youngest child. Victoire was extremely outgoing and enjoyed being around people, and Dominique had a bit of a prankster streak herself, even if she was only three years old. Louis, on the other hand, would rather be on his own.

"Mum worries too much." Bill finally said. "Don't get me wrong, we can see that Dom is a tomboy of sorts, even more than Ginny used to be." George quietly agreed. "Fleur and I wonder sometimes if we should draw some lines about her behaviours, but…" He paused with a sigh. "It seems awfully stupid to tell a little child that they should act differently because of their gender, no?"

"Absolutely." Angelina told them immediately. "I heard that during my whole childhood. ' _Girls don't play Quidditch_ ' and all that crap. Look at me now, working at Quality Quidditch Supplies once again. And, most importantly? I'm happy."

" _Merci_. Speaking of being happy, 'ave you heard of Charlee lately?" Fleur asked them. "I envy how happy he always seems to be with his life and work in Romania." She added.

"I envy him too. I truly miss Egypt sometimes." Bill replied. "I know, I know, you are planning on starting your career here in the UK, but… Egypt was the best experience I've had in my professional life." He said, making Fleur look at him worryingly.

* * *

On July, 25th, Ginny's water broke. Harry was thankful it was a Sunday, or else he'd have had to leave work in the middle of the day in what he knew would have been total panic. He quickly sent the Weasleys an owl and prepared to take Ginny to St. Mungo's.

When they finally arrived there, his wife was completely calm and ready for the day that their lives would change for good. Harry, however, was definitely the opposite of calm. He envied Ginny's serenity as they entered the delivery room and the Healer quickly joined them.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. I'm Astoria Greengrass and I'll be your Healer today. I see you're ready for your child, Mrs. Potter." She said in a pleasant tone. Harry looked at her with some suspicion.

"Did you say…" He began and stopped himself. The Healer smiled at him.

"Greengrass, yes. You aren't the first one to have this reaction. If you aren't comfortable with me, I can ask someone else to assist you." Astoria told them, but Ginny was already shaking her head.

"That's ridiculous. I don't recall your family actively or proudly supporting Voldemort, it's not like you're a Malfoy." She stated. "I'm more than comfortable with you, so please, stay."

"Right." Astoria replied, but Harry could see that the Healer was the one who suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. "I…" She sighed. "I'm sorry. I'd be more than glad to assist you today and I'll stay if you're sure of this, but it wouldn't be right if I didn't tell you the whole truth. I don't usually disclosure this much to my patients, but…" Astoria chuckled. "You're Harry Potter. There's some history there, so I'll just say it. I may not be a Malfoy, but I will be one very soon. Draco and I will be getting married in a few months."

There was a heavy silence in the room as both Harry and Ginny digested that piece of information. On one hand, Harry wanted to kick the witch out of the room. On the other hand, he appreciated her honesty, especially because she seemed to genuinely want to do her job. He looked at Ginny, waiting for her response. His wife was quietly studying Astoria's face.

"I see." She finally said. "Well, Miss Greengrass, while I don't particularly share your taste in men, I won't hold that against you. I guess we really don't choose who we love, do we?" Ginny chuckled, then grimaced as another contraction hit her.

"Very well!" Astoria cheerfully exclaimed, smiling at them. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

Harry left the delivery room, ready to find his family and let them know about the big news. However, he realised he wasn't ready at all. He sighed in frustration, feeling overwhelmed about everything. He was a father. There was no going back. Before he realised what was happening, he burst into tears.

"Harry? Is that you? Oh, God, what happened? Is Ginny…?" He heard Hermione's voice and did everything he could to focus on his best friend. She was in front of him, holding his arms and looking pale. Harry shook his head, but it only made her widen her eyes even more and then gasp in fear, so he gulped and made an effort to speak.

"Gin. She's fine. Baby is fine too." He managed to say. "James." Harry added and he started crying again. "God, Hermione, I can't do this, what was I thinking? A baby? I can barely get myself out of bed every morning, how am I going to take care of a baby?"

"Oh, Harry." Hermione sighed as she hugged him. He embraced the comfort of her presence and let himself cry on her shoulder. "You'll be an amazing father. Haven't we talked about this a few times already? And besides, you won't be doing this on your own. You have an amazing wife with you, plus all of us. You basically have an army of people who would love nothing more than to help you during every single second of this."

They stayed still for a couple minutes, Harry letting himself be held by his friend, Hermione doing what she could to show her support. Finally, the Boy Who Lived took control of his emotions and dropped his arms. He looked at Hermione and took a deep breath. It was finally time to stop being a boy.

"Thank you, Hermione." He said, his voice steady. With a curt nod, Harry looked at the corridor in front of him. "Come on. I want the family to meet James Sirius Potter."

* * *

Astoria sighed in relief when she saw Draco entering the restaurant. He smiled apologetically at her and joined her at the table, quickly taking her hand in his. She had to admit that she was often surprised by how gentle he could be, as Astoria had seen him in Hogwarts for many years. Draco had always seemed cold and distant back then.

"I'm sorry, Tory. Work distracted me completely and I didn't even realise I was late." Draco told her in a rush, looking like he was genuinely upset with himself. Astoria offered him a smile, knowing he still expected to be punished for his mistakes, even though he hadn't been a child for many years.

"Don't be silly, I barely got here in time myself." She replied. _A white lie_ , Astoria thought to herself, not seeing any reason to make a big deal out of Draco's tardiness. "In fact, I had a busy day at work too. The Potters had their first child."

"Of course." Draco muttered, suddenly grumpy. "Bloody Potter is now forcing his mediocrity into another generation." He complained, his tone bitter. Astoria was taken aback, not used to seeing this side.

"Draco." She whispered in shock. He focused on her face, looking confused. "I understand that things with you and Potter were somewhat… difficult." Draco snorted. "But, if you really want to leave your past in the past, you need to let go of your childish grudge and, well, move on."

"Childish grudge?" He repeated, clearly offended. "Potter made my life a living hell for a long time, I can't just let go of everything I went through because of him." Draco said. He was surprised when Astoria glared at him. "What?"

" _He_ made _your_ life a living hell?" She asked him. "Draco, you know I've never judged you for the things that happened during the war. The things that _you_ did during the war." Astoria clarified with a meaningful look. "And you also know that my family wasn't exactly fighting _against_ You-Know-Who. But you can't deny that he was the one making everyone else's lives a living hell. Including yours."

"I know all that, of course, but…" Draco tried to say.

"No, Draco." Astoria interrupted him. "I hate to say this, but we were the ones making people's lives a living hell. We were the ones supporting his madness. Potter may have his flaws, I honestly don't know the man, but at least he put a stop to that rubbish. And if you want to really be a part of this society, this new society, then you have to accept that it is what it is because of him."

Draco sighed in anger, but stayed quiet for a few minutes. He thought about everything Astoria had told him, trying hard to hold back the vicious comments about Potter that kept invading his mind. Finally, he took a deep breath and met Astoria's eyes.

"You have a point. I'm so used to hating Potter and blaming him for everything that went wrong in my life…" He paused. "Don't get me wrong, Tory. I don't miss the Dark Lord. I don't actually believe in the whole blood purity anymore." Draco sighed again, obviously thinking about everything that he had been through in the last few years. "But Potter was always my 'enemy', I guess, and it's hard to see him as anything else. I know that you're right and that I have to let it go. I promise I'll try to do this."

"Thank you. I don't want our children to grow up thinking that Harry Potter is evil or something." Astoria replied, chuckling softly when she saw Draco widening his eyes at her words.

"Children? But… Astoria." He stuttered a little, still somewhat disturbed. "But your health." Draco finally said, making his fiancée wince. "I'm sorry, I know you don't like this, but we can't simply ignore it."

"Draco, I love you and we're getting married soon. I need you to understand that I'm the only one who can make these decisions about my health. I know the risks, probably better than you do. I just feel like having a child with you would be worth it." She said kindly. Draco nodded reluctantly, knowing in his heart that he would do anything to make her happy, even if he disagreed with it.

* * *

When Christmas came, the family was even bigger, as Percy and Audrey's second daughter, Lucy, had been born two weeks earlier. Harry was still very insecure about being a father, even though James was obviously a very happy and very healthy baby. To make things even more complicated, Teddy was also confused about James.

"He's your son." The boy stated, looking at James with suspicion. Harry nodded. "I'm your godson. What's the difference?" He asked.

"When you were born, your father chose me to be your godfather. But he was your father, as I am James's father." Harry answered, aware of the fact that he hadn't actually clarified the issue for Teddy.

"Oh." The boy said, clearly confused and upset. "Okay." And he walked away, joining Fred and Dominique on the ground to play with them. Harry had the urge to kick himself, but stopped himself. He quickly sat next to Neville and Hannah, enjoying their presence.

"Harry! How's everything?" His friend asked him, smiling. "I see that James is quite big already, how's that going?"

"It's scary, Nev." Harry gulped. "I honestly can't stop thinking that I'm doing everything wrong. But enough of my woes, how are you? I thought you were being trained by Professor Sprout?" Neville nodded at that.

"I am! It's been very interesting, I've been learning so much about Herbology from her, it's been an amazing experience for me. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do once my training is over. Maybe I'll look for something in the Ministry." Neville replied with a smile and Harry gestured at Fleur.

"Not a bad idea. Fleur has just joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Sports, she is really enjoying it. I'm sure you'll find something, mate. But enjoy your training for now, you can worry about that later. I mean, Luna is basically following that Scamander guy all around Europe, just focused on learning everything that she can learn from him, and she seems really happy with this arrangement."

"Who wouldn't be?" Hermione asked, sitting next to Hannah. "You truly have a unique opportunity, being trained by a Hogwarts professor like this. I'm not going to lie, Neville, I'm a little envious." They all chuckled at that, knowing that she actually meant what she had said. "Speaking of work, though, you'll never guess which Advocate came to my office this week to discuss a case." She paused for dramatic effect, making Harry and the others glance at each other in anticipation. "Draco Malfoy. Apparently, the Advocates to the Wizarding World think he's doing a great job, they seem to truly trust him."

"Well, good for him." Hannah said with a shrug. "Neville ran into him a while ago and he said that Malfoy was surprisingly polite. Maybe he _has_ changed?" Harry looked away, unsure if he believed that it could truly happen. "I know he was a terrible boy back when we were at Hogwarts, but we all grow up at some point, even Malfoy."


	8. Chapter Eight - 2005

**AN : **A muuuch shorter chapter, but... it's Harry's birthday! I couldn't NOT post a chapter. Anyway... not much happens here, even though we'll start seeing some major signs of a huge Weasley plot here. I'm trying to explore something new with this. It's supposed to be confusing for anyone who's looking from the outside, but it'll get some more development in later years/chapters, so it won't always be this confusing, I hope.

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT – 2005**

Angelina Catherine Weasley was very content with her life. Her husband, George, made everything seem interesting and fun. He was also extremely supportive of her. They had two amazing children, who kept growing up faster than she'd would have liked, if she had to be honest. But Angelina had a new reason to celebrate that particular moment.

She had gotten a new job.

No more selling brooms and broom supplies to entitled clients. No more being patronised by people who thought that a _witch_ couldn't possibly know the first thing about brooms or Quidditch. No more trying to look pleasant just to sell more than her colleagues.

No more.

Angelina had been hired by Nimbus. Her talents and knowledge had finally been recognised and she would get the training she had always dreamt of. Angelina was on her way to her first day of work and she couldn't be more excited to start learning about actually making brooms. With a huge grin, she entered the building and walked up the reception.

"The name is Weasley. Angelina Weasley. I'm here to make some Nimbus history." She confidently stated.

* * *

Neville frantically looked for Hannah. The Leaky Cauldron was busy that night, since it was Friday and people were relaxing with their friends, drinking a Butterbeer or something stronger. The Gryffindor couldn't care less about any of that. He had just received some incredible news and he wanted Hannah to be the first one to know.

"Nev, you're here!" He heard from his left. Neville quickly turned and found his girlfriend. She was holding her wand and levitating three bottles of Firewhisky, along with at least a dozen glasses. "You look flustered, do you have a fever?" Hannah asked him in concern.

"Hannah, I've got to tell you something. I was with Sprout this afternoon, in fact, I just left Hogwarts, we were working on a particularly challenging Snargaluff this week, quite difficult, really, you wouldn't believe the trouble it gave us…" Neville shook his head when he realised he was rambling. "No, that's not the point. The point, Hannah, the point is that I know what I'm doing with my life."

"Merlin, that was unexpected!" She laughed in surprise. "Go on, then, tell me! I want to know, Neville." Hannah giggled when her boyfriend took a deep breath and puffed out his chest.

"You're looking at a future… Hogwarts professor." Neville finally announced. Hannah gasped in shock, the bottles of Firewhisky dangerously bumping at each other. "That's right! Professor Sprout will be retiring in two years and she wants me to take her place. Me! Isn't that crazy, Hannah?" He asked her, somewhat in disbelief.

"Absolutely not crazy at all." Hannah told him, her voice very serious. "You obviously have the talent and interest that one needs to be a professor. You'll be amazing, Nev, I'm so proud of you!" She waved her wand, making the bottles and glasses disappear, and threw her arms around Neville's neck.

"Thank you for believing in me, Hannah." He whispered in her ear.

* * *

It was Harry's 25th birthday and everybody was eager to please their friend, not to mention the hero of the Wizarding world. However, Harry himself barely seemed to care about his birthday, especially because James had just turned one year the week before. During the party, Harry saw Hermione holding his son and quickly joined her, escaping Slughorn's monologue about success.

"That's, erm, very interesting, Professor, but I really should check on James, he's so young, you see." Harry said awkwardly, walking towards his best friend. "Bloody hell, who invited Slughorn to this?" He angrily whispered once he was close to Hermione.

"Honestly, Harry, be nice. Slughorn might be a bit…" She paused, clearly looking for the right word to describe the wizard. "Self-serving, I guess." Hermione offered meekly. "But he was never unkind to any of us." She added, raising her eyebrows at him. Harry sighed.

"I know, I know. He's a good man, nobody can deny that. I just wish this had been more of a quiet affair." He said, taking his son from Hermione's arms. "Crazy how much your godson has grown in just a year, no?"

"I'm glad that you seem so comfortable as a father now." Hermione replied with a smile. "I remember the mess you were on the day James was born. Quite the scene." She chuckled, making Harry roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, Hermione. Very mature. Just wait until it's your time, then you'll see…" He interrupted himself when he saw the look on his friend's face. "No way." Harry whispered. Hermione quietly nodded, but she had a smile on her lips. "Hermione, that's amazing! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He asked her, hugging his friend.

"I found out a week ago, I didn't want to steal James's thunder." She said as she hugged him back. "Besides, I'm scared out of my wits. I honestly don't know the first thing about being a mother, and Ron is freaking out too." Hermione told him. Harry barked out a laugh.

"What was it that you told me when we found out Ginny was pregnant for the first time? 'Nobody is ever ready to be a parent' or something like that? I guess we'll see how the great Hermione Granger deals with a baby in her own house." He teased her. However, he quickly turned serious when he saw Hermione studying his face carefully. "What?"

"When you found out Ginny was pregnant for the _first_ time?" She repeated, making Harry gulp. "When did you find out Ginny was pregnant for the _second_ time?" Hermione asked him. He shrugged in defeat.

"Not long ago... I guess our kids will go to Hogwarts together." He finally said. "Poor McGonagall."

* * *

Harry and Ginny and Hermione and Ron weren't the only ones preparing for a baby. Astoria had convinced Draco that, despite her weak health, they should at least try to have a child together. And their firstborn was on their way.

"I cannot believe that you are going to be a father." Blaise Zabini said, shaking his head. "Draco Malfoy. A father."

"You'll be this child's godfather, Blaise. Don't forget that." Draco replied curtly. "You have no choice, Astoria and Daphne have already talked about this." He added, talking about his wife and Blaise's fiancée. "To be honest, I can't believe that _you_ are getting married to _Daphne_."

"What can I say? The Greengrass ladies are something else." He raised his glass and Draco did the same with his own. "Who would've thought that we'd be…" Blaise paused for a second, thinking. "Brothers-in-law?" And he laughed, clearly tipsy. Draco shook his head, amused.

"That's enough Firewhisky for you, friend." He said, but took a sip from his glass and let Blaise continue to drink. "I'm worried. Tory's health is fragile." Draco whispered, unsure if it was wise to voice his fears. To his surprise, his friend seemed to quickly sober up at that comment.

"I know, Draco. Daphne is worried too. I mean. What were you thinking? Is the Malfoy bloodline so important to you that you'd risk your wife's life for a heir?" Blaise accused him, his tone suddenly very vicious. Draco coldly stared at him for a few silent seconds.

"It was _never_ my idea." He said. "I told Astoria that I'd be fine with the Malfoy bloodline dying with me. Merlin knows that nobody who's actually good would miss us. We are the scum of the Wizarding world, Zabini." Draco added, using Blaise's last name to make his point. "But Astoria insisted, despite the curse. And I couldn't say no to her. I may live to regret this, I know that. I just." He sighed angrily, trying to stop the tears in his eyes. "I couldn't say no to her. And I promise you one thing, though. I will not be like my father. I might never be a good person, but my child will be raised as one. I promise you."

* * *

Fleur took a deep breath as she sat on her couch. She was simply exhausted. While she enjoyed her work very much, having a career and three children wasn't easy. Of course, her husband did as much as she did, but that hardly made her feel less tired. It only meant that they were both worn out.

"Dominique! What are those?" She heard Bill shouting from the children's bedroom. Fleur sighed, knowing she should join her family. Still, she sat for a while longer, wishing that Bill would solve whatever her daughter had done. "Are those Fred's? You're not supposed to take anyone's underwear!"

Fleur's eyes widened at that. Dominique was a prankster, that much was clear to everyone. She and Fred were unstoppable, even though they weren't even five yet. However, taking her cousin's underwear for herself was new. Putting aside her exhaustion, Fleur made her way to the bedroom, only to find her daughter half-naked, wearing what was clearly a boy's underwear.

"No, no, Dominique." She whispered, shaking her head. "Take these ov and go shower, now." Fleur told her. "Victoire, 'elp your sister, please." She quickly added, thinking that she was too tired to handle that. Dominique glared at her parents, clearly mad.

"I like those. Mine is stupid." The little girl said. Fleur and Bill shared a concerned look. "I don't want my undies. I don't, I don't, I don't!" She angrily shouted.

"I don't understand." Victoire told them. "Let Dom wear what he wants to wear." She shrugged. "What's wrong with that?" The girl asked her parents.

" _She_ , Victoire. Dominique is a girl. She's your sister." Bill quietly replied. Victoire looked at her father, at her sister and back at her father again, clearly confused.

"I don't see it, Papa." She finally said. "Dom is like Freddie, no? It's why Freddie gave Dom his undies." Victoire explained. Bill glanced at Fleur, speechless. His wife simply shrugged. She had no idea how to respond to that.


End file.
